And Then Another Day Began
by Lara Cox
Summary: It took a long time for them to feel this good again. And then another day began. In the day of the State of The Union Address someone starts killing the people who know about the Russian conspiracy.  PART 4 of the 'Everything went downhill...' series
1. There's a group of people

**Author's note:**Thanks for all the great support my series gets and thanks to those who review for the very nice words! =)

This part is a very special one. I'll write it in 24-format. Meaning: One day – 24 chapters representing one hour of a very long day. The story written by 'Ghost', Day 9, inspired me to write my own story in this format. After reading his story I thought it'd be cool to write something similar. It'll be very challenging to write in that format, but I'll try to do my best.

I'll even try to write "Split screens". You'll know because the four paragraphs will be in italics and three of them will start saying "At the same time". When you see that, pretend the action is taking place at the exact same moment in different areas of the screen. Also, there'll be small jumps of time representing the commercials. Please, let me know if you like this format.

Also, even though the format is 24-like, it'll be more political than the show. I hope you don't mind that.

Anyway, thank you so much! Love, Lara

Special considerations:

"Day Seven" took place on March 25 - 26 of 2017

"Total eclipse of the heart" (First part of the series), took place a year after day 7.

"Day Eight" took place on May 20 - 21 2018

"The ride with you is worth the fall" took place about five months after day 8 and ended on January 20th of 2019 (Renee 39th birthday).

The Islamic Republic of Kamistan, for the purposes of this Fanfic, is located where in real life is Belarus.

**Clarification: **When, in a phone conversation, what a character says is written in italics it means that the character in question doesn't appear 'on camera'.

**SERIES: Everything went downhill from there**

**PART ONE: "A TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART" **

**PART TWO: "IN A NEW YORK MINUTE" - **

**PART THREE: "THE RIDE WITH YOU IS WORTH THE FALL" **

**PART FOUR: "ANOTHER LONG DAY BEGAN"**

**Summary:** They have jobs they love. They have each other. It took a long time for them to feel this good again. And then another long day began. Its' the day of the State of The Union Address and someone is killing the people who know about the Russian conspiracy… one by one.

**Disclaimer:** The show it's not mine. Neither are the characters. Except: Leon Craig, Elizabeth Stockard, George Sullivan, Nathaniel O'Malley, Nora McNally and other OCs.

**CHAPTER 01:**

"**There's a group of people trying to kill me"**

_The following takes place between 08.00 AM and 9.00 AM, on the day of the State of the Union Address._

**Previously:** Renee and Jack dated for seven weeks. After having a miscarriage she left him. They got back together after Omar Hassan's death, but she left to Washington Dc after Jack got shot because she was overwhelmed by guilt. (Parts one and 2)

Renee was named White House Chief of Staff and Jack was named national security advisor.

Ethan and Allison got married. Jack and Renee got back together after the wedding. After a couple of months of living together, they got engaged.

Yuri Suvarov and Mikail Novakovich are being tried at the International Criminal Court in The Hague for the assassination of Kamistani president, Omar Hassan, and the providing of nuclear material to his enemies. The case is still in pre-trial state. Renee had to testify in the hearings but someone hit her with a car and young rich guy appeared to be that someone. Unknown best to Jack and Renee, the driver was actually a fat Russian man who works for a group of people with sinister plans.

Currently, torture is not allowed under ANY circumstances. But, after Omar Hassan's death, President Taylor saw the necessity of extreme measures of interrogations. So the White House is trying to get the Moss-Buchanan Advanced PATRIOT Act passed. This legislation allows torture but only in very extreme circumstance and with a lot of conditions. This law would allow preventing terrorist attack but putting an end to the _whatever-it-takes_ and _whenever-an-agent-feels-like-it_ era.

**January 29th 2019 – Wednesday **

**Caracas, Venezuela – South America **

**08.00 AM (Washington DC time) / 08.30 PM (Caracas's time) **

Dana Walsh was a terrified woman. She knew they were looking for her to kill her. Every day she woke up wondering… _Will this be the day they'll get me?._ She had to look over her shoulder constantly. They wanted to kill her because she had revealed the Russian government's involvement in Omar Hassan's death and the providing of nuclear material to his enemies. She had done so to get immunity. After being released, she hid in Mexico, but they found her. Fortunately, she managed to escape to South America. And, since August of 2018, she had traveled all around South America to hide from _them_. Currently, she was hiding in Venezuela. To avoid being recognized, she constantly changed her hair, which was now chocolate-brown and very short. She had gotten a job as a waitress in a crappy local bar. She hated her job. But, at least, she was alive, free and making enough money to live.

As usual, she had hardly gotten any sleep. She left the bed of her small room in her tiny house and quickly got dressed. But, as she headed to the kitchen, she heard someone trying to break into the house she was renting. She had installed five locks.

Without thinking it twice, Dana took her emergency backpack, which had everything she needed to run away abruptly. She also took her netbook. Then she ran the hell out of the house, escaping through the back door.

A woman then managed to break into Dana's house. The woman was extremely sexy, had pale-blue eyes and long black hair. With her automatic gun ready, she took a quick look around the small house and realized Dana had left already.

She quickly left the house and looked around. She saw Dana running in the distance. Then the black-haired woman ran as fast as possible to catch her. She was faster than Dana so she was close to caching her.

Dana took a quick look to see who was chasing her. She recognized her instantly. The woman casing her was an American assassin who had tried to kill her before. That woman didn't work for the Russians. She worked for _them_, a group of people that had assisted Yuri Suvarov. It was definitely time for Dana to leave Venezuela.

Dana abruptly turned around and shot at the black-haired woman, to the horror of innocent bystanders. The bullet barely lacerated the assassin's shoulder. The black-haired woman gasped in pain and stopped. She examined the wound and saw that, fortunately for her, it was not very serious. She quickly took bandages and disinfectant from her backpack and took care of it.

While the woman was busy taking care of the wound, Dana kept running.

Once finished with the basic care of the wound, the black-haired woman ignored the pain and continued quickly chasing Dana. She caught up with Dana and shot her in the leg, while innocent bystanders screamed in horror and ran away. Then Dana fell to the dusty ground. The other woman pointed at Dana's head with an automatic gun.

"Wait", Dana begged with clear desperation in her blue eyes. "Don't kill me. I can give you the evidence that implicates the group. I never revealed it. I swear. They all think Suvarov masterminded everything alone".

"I'm sorry", the ruthless black-haired woman said. "That won't do".

Dana Walsh dreadfully tried to reach her gun. But the black-haired woman coldly shot her in the head. Then she took Dana's netbook and calmly walked away from the scene.

As she walked away, she made a call with her cell phone. "It's done".

"_Good. You're heading to the US. then?"_, an American man asked her.

"Yes. I'm done here", the woman replied.

**08.39.45 -08.39.46 - 08.39.47 - 08.39.48 (Caracas Time)**

**08.09.45 -08.09.46 - 08.09.47 - 08.09.48 (Washington DC time)**

**Washington DC. – Liz and Leo's apartment. **

Elizabeth Anne Stockard was a very busy woman. As Deputy Director of FBI DC, she had a lot of responsibilities. Yet, she managed to have breakfast with her son and her boyfriend every day. She actually saw Leo all day long since they worked and lived together. But breakfast and dinner were the only moments she had with Cooper, her nine year old son.

Leo and Cooper waited by the kitchen table. Then, she handed each of them a bowl of cereal and took another one for herself. Leo and Liz exchanged a pointed look and then looked nervously at the kid, who was eating his breakfast. Finally, Elizabeth dared to speak, "Coop, uh, we should talk about what you saw last night. You must have a lot of questions".

Cooper curious topaz-brown eyes set on his mother. "What you were doing… Is _that_ having sex?".

Leo chocked with his cereal. He had never expected the kid to have so much information already. Elizabeth's white cheeks turned red. But, since her precocious son had seen too much, she had to tell him the truth. "Yes", she replied awkwardly. "Do you have any questions about it?".

Cooper thought for a moment before asking a question. "Do you want to make a baby?"

Leo and Liz hadn't talked about it yet. But she felt too old to have another child. "No"

"Then why do you do it?", the kid inquired.

"It feels good", Leo replied casually.

"But only if you're a grown up and you're in love", Elizabeth quickly added.

"And I love your mom very much", Leo stated. Then he and Liz exchanged a smile and he held her hand. They were madly in love with each other.

Cooper then had other questions. "How often can you do it? Do you do it every night?".

But the grown ups didn't want to give the child too much information. Leo told him patiently, "Buddy, I think that, for now, you have all the information you need. You'll learn more when you're older". The kid looked disappointed. Leo felt bad for him, "Oh, come on… We'll have a talk man-to-man and I'll explain you all the details when you're in high school".

"That's in a millionth years!", the kid protested rather loudly.

"For now…", Elizabeth stated very seriously. "You should just know that sex is very private. You can't just walk into our room without knocking. You know that".

"I'm sorry", the kid told them with begging eyes.

"It was mostly our fault", Leo admitted gently. "We are the adults. We are supposed to protect you. We should have put a lock in our room". He then looked at Liz. "I'll put one tomorrow".

Liz nodded approvingly. Next she playfully messed up her son's blonde curls, so similar to her own short blonde curls. "Now finish your breakfast, Coop, so I'll take you to school".

"Lizzy, I can take him. I have to question that Iman about the threat and it's just two blocks away from the school", Leo explained, while carelessly eating some of his cereal.

"Okay", Liz agreed with a smile. "Thank you"

Leo smiled back at her. "You're welcome, Goldilocks"

**08.13.56 -08.13.57 - 08.13.58 - 08.13.59**

**08. 14 AM- Gym in Washington DC.**

Andrian Jacobi, a blonde man with milk-white skin and steel-blue eyes, was proud of his own very impressive body. His abs were perfect, so were his arms, his long legs, his chest and his wide back. But having such a great body took a lot of work. He had to spend three hours every morning at the gym. He always went to a gym near his house. And everybody around there knew very well who he was.

He left the treadmill and headed to his favorite weigh bench, but there was a short thin man using it. Annoyed, even though there were other weigh benches free, Andrian cleared his throat. The tiny man instantly got scared and left. Clearly pleased, Andrian started exercising.

Soon, a gym employee brought a bottle of mineral water for Andrian. "Your water, Mr. Jacobi".

Andrian loved to keep himself hydrated, so he took the bottle and drank some water.

People in the neighborhood treated him like a prince. Because they all knew Andrian Jacobi was the son of the most powerful Russian gangster in the DC. area. And he had been participating in her dad's business since the age of 16. Nobody dared to piss the 25 year old gangster off.

While he worked out, his cell phone rang. He took the phone and looked at the caller ID screen, which simply said '_Brooke_'. Brooke was a woman who represented a group of people he was doing business with. He had to deal with her because he wasn't allowed to talk to the boss of that group, nobody was. But Brooke was an extremely important member of the gang. She was just beneath the big boss and was even allowed to talk to him. Naturally, her name was not actually Brooke. But Andrian wasn't allowed to know her real name.

The gangster took the call right away. "Hello?"

"_Hi. Listen, something's come up_".

Andrian then walked quickly to the bathroom. He saw nobody there. "Okay. I'm listening".

"_I'm going to send you the picture of a man. He's a problem we must eliminate. He'll arrive to Dulles international airport in flight 365, from Argentina. The flight arrives in thirty minutes"_

The Russian lifted his eyebrows with surprise. "Thirty minutes? That's a short notice. Don't you think?"

"_I have just heard about this. Will you do it or not?"_,

Broke sounded annoyed. Andrian got worried. He knew those people from the group were very dangerous. It wasn't convenient to piss them off. "Of course… I'll tell our fat friend to do it".

"_That guy said he would whack Walker and screwed up big"_

"He's more upset about that than you. Believe me", Andrian stated truthfully. The fat guy was one pissed off Russian. He and the leader of the group wanted to kill Renee Walker more than anyone else.

"_He better not fail today"_

"Don't worry, Brooke. Every person on the list will be gone by the end of the day", Andrian assured her.

"_But we need to take care of this man first"_

"Consider it done", the Russian gangster promised somberly.

Brooke simply hung up. Then Andrian got the picture of his target. It was a man in his forties, with pale-blue eyes and dark hair with hints of white. The name of that guy was Jason Pillar.

**08.17.03 -08.17.04 - 08.17.05 - 08.17.07**

**Washington DC. – The White House **

Renee Abigail Walker entered the west wing of the White House through the northwest lobby, wearing a granite-gray skirt suit from Calvin Klein. She walked past several security checks and continued down the hallway. A security officer, sitting behind his desk, greeted her politely, "good morning, Ms. Walker"

"Good morning", she replied graciously with a smile, and then continued towards her office. She spotted her first assistant, Eric Denzel Pratt, already by his desk. The young black man was such a hard worker. She gave him a smile as she greeted him. "Good morning, Eric".

Eric stood up promptly to greet his boss. "Good morning, Ms. Walker". Then he handed her a bunch of folders. "CIA briefing. And communications sent you the latest version of the State of the Union". Then he reminded her, "You have senior staff meeting at nine and cabinet meeting at nine forty five".

"All right", Renee acknowledged with a nod and took the folders.

"Also, Mr. Bauer called. He's back", Eric informed her.

Jack had gone to California for a meeting with the new Regional Division Director for CTU LA. He had only been gone for two days, but Renee missed him. Merely thinking about her fiancé put a smile on her face. "Thank you, Eric".

Subsequently, she walked into her office, put the folders over her desk and sat in her chair. Then she picked up her phone extension, dialed a number and waited.

Jack was home already. He had gone to the manor to take a shower and change clothes before heading back to work. When he heard his cell phone ringing, he checked the caller ID screen. It simply said '_White House'_. Then he took the call. "Bauer"

A tiny smile appeared on Renee's features after she heard that voice she adored. "Hi, honey".

Jack's features and voice softened. "Hey"

"So, where are you?", Renee asked casually, while checking the list of people who had called her.

"I'm home. I came to take a shower, but I'll be in the white house in an hour", he replied.

"I can't wait to see you", Renee admitted softly. "I missed you".

Jack smiled after hearing that. "I missed you too, sweetheart".

"So, how was your meeting?", Renee inquired with genuine interest.

"Good", Jack answered with a careless shrug. "People over there seem to know what they're doing".

"Good". Renee then bit her lower lip, looking worried. "So, did you talk to Kim about…?".

"Yeah". Jack smiled thinking about his daughter. Then he reassured Renee, knowing very well why she was so worried. "She's okay with us getting married. She said it's great".

"I'm so glad". Renee sighed, very relieved. Then she instinctively looked at her left ring finger, where she wore her stunning engagement ring. It had a white rounded diamond in the middle and two princess-cut sapphires, one at each side of the diamonds. The stones were set in a 14 k gold band.

"Sweetheart, I've been thinking... What if we got married on March 25th? That's the day we met", he suggested. It was less than two months away. He just couldn't wait to marry her.

Renee was delighted with the idea. She had thought the same thing. "I'd like that".

But then Jack realized something. "Oh, wait… we won't have enough time to plan everything".

"It's okay, honey", Renee reassured him kindly. "I don't want anything big anyway".

"Sweetheart… you should have a big, fancy and perfect wedding", Jack protested softly. He wanted for her nothing but the best of the best. Frankly, he loved Renee for having such simple tastes in spite of being rich. But she deserved the most wonderful wedding money could buy.

"It'll be perfect because I'll marry you", the bride-to-be argued sincerely. She then looked at one of the pictures of herself and Jack that she had over the chocolate-brown wooden wall shelf by the window. On the photo, they were posing by the Potomac River and Jack was putting his arms tightly around her waist and his cheek was glued to hers. They were both smiling and their smiles reached their eyes. Looking at that picture made Renee smile. "Seriously, hun. I just want you to become my husband".

Her words made Jack smile blissfully, something he had been doing a lot lately. "Okay. Whatever you want. I just want you to be happy".

"I _am_ happy", she affirmed seriously. "And I'll be even happier when I marry you on March 25th".

Jack smiled once again. "Good".

Then, Eric walked into the office. "I'm sorry. I've got Senate Majority Leader on line two".

Renee nodded acknowledging that. She then talked to Jack, "Sorry, Hun. I've got to go".

"See you later then. Bye", Jack said goodbye and disconnected the phone call.

**08.22.29 - 08.22.28 - 08.22.27 - 08.22.28 AM**

**08.24.16 - 08.24.17 - 08.24.18 - 08.24.19 AM **

_In Venezuela, the black-haired assassin was arriving to an airport. _

_At the same time, also in Venezuela, police officers were arriving to the scene of Dana's murder. _

_Meanwhile, Liz, Leo and Cooper goodbye and left for work. _

_In the meantime, Renee was on the phone with the Senate Majority Leader._

Renee and Senator Maynard Duval, majority leader, were over the phone discussing the Moss-Buchanan Advanced PATRIOT Act. Currently, torture was not allowed at all. However, the Moss-Buchanan Advanced PATRIOT Act would allow extreme methods of interrogations, but only in very extreme circumstance and with a lot of conditions. Senator Duval was against the Act because he was one of those republicans who thought CTU should go back completely to the _whatever-it-takes_ era.

"_I'm sorry. But I just don't believe in terrorist having rights and, let me tell you, I'm surprised to hear that you do. You, of all people". _

Renee straightened her back in alert and her features darkened. Did the senator know about Alan Tanner, Alan Wilson and Vladimir? It couldn't be. "I'm sorry, sir?"

"_You're living with Jack Bauer, kid. That's one man who is not known for letting terrorists have rights. He believes we must adjust to the enemy's methods_" 

Renee was then plainly offended by what Duval was implying. "I have my own mind, sir". She could hear the old chauvinistic senator chuckling, which only infuriated her more. She spoke firmly and full of conviction. "And I believe that the second we adjust to the enemy's methods the enemy has won, after that it's just suffering and historical opera. Trust me, we are not doing _them_ any favor".

She recalled how she had looked at herself in the mirror after torturing Alan Tanner and threatening baby Connor Vossler. Just for a second, she had seen Vladimir instead of her own reflection. Then, after Alan Wilson, Vladimir's presence in the mirror turned more permanent. Three days after adjusting to her enemy's methods she tried to kill herself. And Jack, because he had adjusted to his enemy's methods, now lived with a lot of pain and guilt inside.

There was silence for a moment. Then Maynard spoke.

"_I'm afraid I won't change my mind"_.

Renee sighed. She wasn't even surprised. "I'm sorry to hear that, Senator"

"_Is this all you needed to discuss?"_

"Yes", she replied feeling beat.

"_Then have a nice day"_

"You too, Senator". Renee disconnected the call and stood up. She headed to a white board she kept on her office with the names of all the senators. She wrote '_No_' next to Maynard Duval's name.

At that moment, Zoe O'Malley Forrest, Renee's second assistant, emerged in the office. "Ms. Walker, this has just arrived for the president".

"It was about time". The chief of staff took the sheet of paper Zoe was handing to her. It was the letter sent by the speaker of the house to invite the president to give the State of The Union Address. She read it with a very serious expression on her flecked face.

_January 28th, 2019_

_The Honorable Allison Taylor  
>The President of the United States<br>The White House  
>Washington, D.C. 20500<em>

_Dear Madam President:_

_A new Congress provides us a renewed opportunity to find common ground and address the priorities of the American people. Our actions must be driven by their desire for freedom, economic recovery, and fiscal sensibility, as well as a need to rebuild the broken bonds of trust between the people and their government._

_As many great challenges lie ahead for our nation, we welcome an opportunity to hear your proposals. Therefore, I am honored to invite you to offer an address on the State of the Union on January 29th, 2019, before a Joint Session of Congress._

_Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to your response._

_Sincerely,_

_Stuart Forbes  
>Speaker of the House<em>

Once she finished reading it, Renee's crystal-blue eyes shifted from the letter to Zoe. "Anything else?"

"Yes. My father said he needs you to pick someone soon", Zoe informed. Her father was Nathaniel O'Malley, the Director of Secret Service operations. "But I don't know what he meant".

"I have to pick someone from the presidential line of succession for Secret Service to take to a secured location", the chief of staff explained.

Zoe looked at her boss with confusion. "Why?"

"Just in case", Renee replied nonchalantly.

Zoe was instantly alarmed. She suspected the reason for doing that. "In case of what?"

"Well, if someone puts a bomb in the capitol and everyone inside dies we'd need someone ready to run the country", Renee casually enlightened her young assistant. "A designated survivor".

Zoe was even more alarmed now that her suspicions had been proven correct. "They think the capitol is going to blow up?".

"It's only a formality, Zoe", Renee reassured her with a gentle tone. "The capitol is not going to blow up. That's highly unlikely".

"But still possible", Zoe pointed out, mildly scared.

"Don't worry about it", Renee told her. "Now, ask Nancy Johnson the president's response to the letter. Make sure it gets to the speaker right away".

"Of course", Zoe promptly agreed. "Anything else, ma'am? Do you want your coffee?".

Renee nodded. "Yes, please". Then she noticed something in the younger woman's face. It was yet another bruise with the shape of a half-moon in Zoe's right cheek. The young assistant got hurt a lot. Renee's face darkened and a suspicion came to her mind. "Zoe, what happened to you?".

Zoe got suddenly awkward. Luckily for her, she had thought of an excuse already. "I was ice skating and had an accident. Nothing serious".

Renee didn't quite believe her. Her eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?"

Zoe feigned confusion. "What else could have happened?".

"You tell me", Renee defied her.

"I'm telling you the truth", Zoe protested, faking outrage. "Now, excuse me, I'll go get your coffee".

The young girl quickly headed to the door. But Renee stopped her. "Zoe, wait…". Zoe turned around to face her, with her aquamarine-green eyes sparkling with unshed tears. Renee sighed resigned. "I'll teach how to put on your make up. You're not covering those bruises right".

Renee could tell Zoe really tried to hide the bruises but was using the wrong kind of make up in the wrong way. Renee, on the other hand, had far more experience hiding bruises in her face with concealed because of Vladimir. And now she had bruises because she had been hit with car nearly a month before, a purple circle above her right eyebrow and a bigger purple circle on the right cheek. The bruises were slowly fading, but were still there. At least she could somehow mask them with make up.

"I'd appreciate that", Zoe graciously accepted her boss's offer.

The two women then headed to the bathroom.

**08.34.24 -08.34.25 - 08.34.26 - 08.34.27 AM**

**Caracas, Venezuela – South America **

**09.05 AM (Caracas's time) **

The black-haired woman who had killed Dana Walsh arrived to an airport and went to the bathroom. There, she put on a short strawberry-red wig and pale-green contact glasses. Then she put on excessive make up, looking nearly like a hooker. Her beautiful face had never needed make up, so, normally, she didn't wear much. But right now she needed to look like a different person.

She passed through several security checkpoints and boarded a plane bound to Washington DC. She would arrive to the USA in seven hours.

**09.13 AM**

On the streets of Caracas, where Dana had perished, police officers were investigating her murder. Her body had been covered and put in a gurney to take to a morgue. Then, a police officer named Luis talked to another police man. "Mira, la mujer tenia esto…" (*look, the woman had this). He gave the other officer a passport and an ID he had found on Dana. "Su nombre era Mia Keelson" (*her name was Mia Keelson), Luis said, reading the name in the passport and the Id.

The other officer called Fernando examined the documents. "Revisa la lista de personas perdidas", he requested. (*Check the list of missing people). Next he stared at the body pensively for a moment. "Esto se trato claramente de una ejecución. Tal vez esta Mia Keelson no andaba en nada bueno".(*This was clearly an execution. Maybe this Mia Keelson was up to no good).

"Tienes razon" (*You're right), Luis replied with a nod. "Me fijare si su nombre esta en la lista de criminales norteamericamos buscados" (*I'll check if her name is on the list of wanted American criminals".

**09.16.46 -09.16.47 - 09.16.48 - 09.16.49**

**Washington DC. - Murch Elementary School**

**08.46 AM- (Washington DC. Time)**

Leo parked his vehicle in front of Cooper's school. But he needed to talk to the kid before letting him go, so he stopped the kid who was about to open the door and get out of the car. "Cooper, before you go, we need to talk man to man".

Cooper looked at him worriedly. "Am I in trouble?"

"Oh, no, buddy…". Leo got nervous. The conversation he needed to have scared him a little. "It's just… there's something important that I need to discuss with you".

"Okay", Cooper accepted carelessly

Leo got even more nervous. He didn't really know how to start the conversation. "You know? In old times, if man wanted to marry a woman, uh, he needed to ask her father's permission".

Cooper looked puzzled. "Why?"

"That's how it was done", Leo simply replied.

"But why?", the kid insisted, feeling perplexed, not understanding why Leo wanted to talk about that.

"They believed that a woman belonged to her father and he had to approve who she married", Leo explained very anxiously. He scratched the back of his head nervously. They were missing the point. "But… well, nowadays we know that wasn't fair and women marry whoever they want…"

The little boy was growing a little inpatient. "Leo, what's your point? I have to go to school".

Leo finally burped out, "I want your permission to marry your mom".

The little boy was shocked. He let the information sink in and thought about it for a moment. Then he looked at Leo with confusion in his topaz-brown eyes. "But I'm not her father and this isn't the old times".

"I know", Leo acknowledged with a sight. He was so worried. This was one of the most important conversations of his life. "But you're the most important man in her life. She wouldn't marry me without your blessing".

The boy just sulked. "Do you _have_ to get marry?".

"No", Leo told him very seriously. "But I want to".

"Does she want to?", Cooper asked sadly looking down.

"I don't know", the man admitted. "I haven't asked her yet. I wanted to check with you first".

The kid felt really important. But that didn't make him feel happy about her mom marrying someone who wasn't his late father. "Why do you want to get married?"

"Because I love your mom, and I love you very much…", Leo replied candidly and smiled at the kid. He then lovingly messed up Cooper's blonde curls. The nine year old continued looking sad. The man looked at him with compassion and tried to make him feel better. "You know, kiddo? You and your mom are the first family I have since I left my house when I was seventeen. And I'm now happy for the first time in a very long time. So I want to take good care of both of you. I want us to be a family officially. I want the three of us to be together forever"

Cooper had to admit to himself that Leo was a good guy. They hadn't gotten along when they first met. But lately they had been getting along. Now he liked him. And his mom was so happy with that man. The kid bit his lower lip doubtfully and pierced Leo's hazel eyes with his own. "Will I have to call you '_dad'_?"

Leo could easily tell the kid didn't want to. But it didn't matter. He wanted to respect the memory of Cooper's late father. "No", he replied reassuringly. "You can call me Leo, like now. I'm not going to replace your dad. I'm going to be your stepdad, which is a very different thing".

Cooper then made another question. "Will you let me have a picture of my dad in my room?"

Leo nodded solemnly. "Of course"

"Will you let mom tell me stories about my dad?", Cooper asked with genuine concern. He was only three years old when his dad died. He didn't remember him, which made him feel guilty. So the kid was very curious about his dad and wanted to know everything about the late August Jamison. The kid figured his dad would hate to be forgotten.

"Your mom can tell you stories about anything she wants, buddy", Leo told him with a warm smile. He could understand why the kid was so worried. "Look… you mom will never forget your dad. She will always love him because he gave her you".

Cooper carefully considered the issue for a moment. He had to admit to himself that what Leo said made sense and he was really nice. Finally, he made up his mind. "Then it's okay… you can marry mom".

Leo couldn't be happier. He enthusiastically hugged Cooper. "Thank you. Thank you so much, buddy"

The kid then became truly impatient. "Now can I go to school? I wanna talk to my friend Taylor before we have to go to class".

Leo chuckled and messed up Cooper's blonde curls again. "All right. Bye".

"Bye, Leo", Cooper hugged him, got out of the car and headed to school.

Leo blissfully observed his soon-to-be stepson get into the school.

**08.51.14 -08.51.15 - 08.51.16 - 08.51.17 AM**

**08.54.30 -08.54.31 - 08.54.32 - 08.54.33 AM**

_Leo was happily driving away from the school._

_In the meantime, Andrian was still working out._

_At the same time, Dana's body was being taken away from the scene of her murder. _

_In the interim, a fat man holding a sandwich was walking to the entrance of Dulles international Airport. _

**Dulles international Airport. **

The fat Russian man with a blue baseball cap headed to the entrance of the airport. His target would soon walk through it. He looked at his watch and sloppily finished eating his sandwich.

Jason Pillar arrived to Washington DC. in a flight from Argentina wearing a black baseball cup, sunglasses, jeans and a black sweater. He tried to avoid being recognized. He looked around feeling truly nervous and scared. _They_ were looking for him. He went through customs with fake documents and rushed to leave the airport. He didn't even have a suitcase, only his backpack.

Unknown best to him, the fat Russian man was following him closely.

Jason headed to one of the bathrooms. There was nobody around. He took his cell phone and dialed Elizabeth Stockard's number. In the whole world, he could only trust her, president Taylor, Jack Bauer, Renee Walker and Leon Craig. To his dismay, he got the voice mail. He sighed frustrated and left a message, "Agent Stockard, this is Jason Pillar. I need to see you urgently. There's a group of people trying to kill me. Since last May I've been hiding in Argentina but now they found me. I'm willing to turn myself in and give you all the evidence I have. It's the evidence Charles Logan used to blackmail the Russians. I'll be at Dulles international airport. Please, hurry".

Jason then looked at himself in the mirror and he saw him… a fat man was right behind him. Before he could do anything about it, the fat man grabbed him from behind, took a small knife and sliced his throat. After Jason was dead, the obese man coldly cleaned the knife with Jason's t-shirt. After that, he took Jason's cell phone and the memory card Jason had on his pocket, which had the evidence Charles Logan had used to blackmail Mikail Novakovich and Yuri Suvarov.

Then, the fat Russian man walked away quickly and took his own cell phone to call Andrian. "It's me. It's done". He looked around to make sure nobody was listening. "But he called Agent Elizabeth Stockard and revealed too much".

Andrian looked pensive for a brief moment. Very fast, he made a firm decision. "Sounds like you'll have to take care of her next".

**08.59.56 -08.59.57 - 08.59.58 - 08.59.59 AM**

**09.00 AM**

**To be continued… **

**(Please, tell me what you think. It's important to me to read honest opinions. Especially now, that I'm trying out a new format). **


	2. This has catastrophe written all over it

**Author's note:**Thanks for the support I get! It means the world to me. The reviews I get make my day. I want more *_begging eyes_*. I don't care whether they are short or long. Reviews are now more important than ever because I'm trying out a new format, which is very difficult. Actually, all this was originally meant to be a terror-arc included in part three and not a part in real time. This represents my most ambitious writing project so far. So, seriously guys… I need opinions.

Thanks to Brendan and Biham for adding my story to their favorites. It's an honor. And thanks to Brendan for his input.

This chapter is very political. As usual, I get inspiration from "The West Wing" and, sometimes, "Commander in Chief" for the political subplots.

The lines in the chapter represent "Commercial breaks".

**Disclaimer:** The show it's not mine. Neither are the characters. Except: Leon Craig, Elizabeth Stockard, George Sullivan, Nathaniel O'Malley, Nora McNally and other OC.

**CHAPTER 02:**

"**This Has Catastrophe Written All Over It"**

_The following takes place between 09.00 AM and 10.00 AM, on the day of the State of the Union Address._

**Previously:** Allison's approval ratings dropped 20 points. The public sees her as weak and ineffective. She's not sure about running for reelection because if she doesn't run, she can pardon Olivia in two years, but, if she runs, Olivia will spend six more years in prison.

Dana Walsh was hiding in Venezuela. But she gets killed by a female assassin.

Jason Pillar was hiding in Argentina with the evidence Charles Logan used to blackmail the Russians. He has to go back to the states to ask protection for himself and his family when the group of people who wants to kill him finds him. He contacts Liz Stockard. But them he was murdered by a fat Russian man who gets orders for a Russian mobster called Andrian Jacobi, who gets orders from a mysterious woman whose alias is Brooke.

Jack and Renee set a date for their wedding.

Leo asks Cooper's permission to marry Liz. The kid agrees.

Andrian orders Fat Russian to kill Liz.

**January 29th 2019 – Wednesday**

**09.00 AM – Washington DC.**

**The White House**

The Roosevelt Room of the White House had been set as a '_war room_' to work on the State of The Union Address, which the president would have to deliver at 9.00 PM. In one side of the room, there was a big white board that had different cards stuck on it, each card had a topic of the speech written on it. One said '_Education initiative_', others said '_Advanced PATRIOT Act_', '_Suvarov's trial_', '_Nuclear proliferation_', _'Homeless initiative'_, '_Peace agreement_', '_Affirmative action'_, '_Medicare', 'School Uniforms'. _ And there were many others. Those cards were placed in order, depending on the place the topic would have on the speech.

The Senior Staff and President Taylor were meeting there and working hard on the State of the Union. Caldwell Coleman, Communications Director, was sitting down working on the section of the address about the peace agreement. He was the architect of the speech. The divorced man in his early sixties had been working on it for nine weeks and since January 2nd he had barely left his office.

Next to him sat Lynnette Lockhart, his deputy and _'work wife'_, also divorced. She had worked as hard as Caldwell for the past nine weeks. Now she was working on a section about the education initiative.

Next to Lynette sat Press Secretary Angie Nelson, who everyone loved and who was working on the section about nuclear proliferation. The single woman's involvement in the speech had been fundamental too.

Next to Angie sat Renee Abigail Walker. The White House Chief of Staff was sitting down revisiting the section of the speech about Suvarov's trial.

Allison was standing up, carefully examining the board before her with a cup of coffee in her hand. She drank some of her coffee and looked pensively at the board. "I'd rather lead with my homeless initiative and my education initiative. Let's set the tone with the victories".

"Might be considered counting your chickens", Caldwell warned her worriedly. "The homeless initiative is not a close deal yet".

"Latest head count looks good for passage", the president pointed out.

"Both parties want points for helping with the homeless issue, Cal", Renee added, looking at the short and chubby guy. Then her pale-blue eyes shifted from Caldwell to the president, "We should shine a light on it. Neither party can afford to dismiss the problem and the public wants to see it fixed". 

Caldwell was not very convinced. He scratched the back of his head and looked at a page of the address doubtfully. "But does the initiative match the theme of the address? _The courage to act_". 

"Madam President… you should open with the Nuclear proliferation thing", Lynnette suggested, with her normal nasal tone. As usual, her glasses had slid to the tip of her long thin nose. As she talked, she tried to put them in place. "They're going to need plenty of courage to get behind your proposal to curb nuclear proliferations". 

Angie suddenly remembered something and timidly stepped in the conversation. "Oh speaking of which I found a quote the director of the IAEA once said '_There are some who have continued to dangle a cigarette from their mouth and tell everyone else not to smoke'_."

The president nodded solemnly in approval. "It's perfect. Put it in".

"You're already at about 6,000 words", Renee warned her gently.

"Yeah", Allison acknowledged with resignation. There was so much she wanted to say to her people. The president then looked at the board silently for a moment. She took aninstant to think about how she should start the speech. Finally she made up her mind. "I should start with the trial, the peace agreement and nuclear proliferations. I want to talk about those issues while everyone is still awake".

Lynnette giggled amused by the comment. Next she stood up quickly, headed to the board and moved the topics the president had just said to the top of the speech.

After that, George Ace Sullivan, white House deputy Chief of Staff for policy, walked into the room. All eyes were expectantly on him. "I spoke with Preston North", he announced. Preston North was a congressman from New Hampshire, a democrat.

"What did he say?", Renee asked rather anxiously. They needed North's support, but he was a democrat. Would he support a republican initiative?

George gave his boss a dorky smile. "He'll give us his support if we put our weight behind Sp 380. It's a highway improvement bill".

Renee thought that was too good to be true. "And what else?"

"That's it", George responded, still with his normal dorky smile.

Allison was pleasantly surprised to hear that. Her baby-blue eyes were firmly set on George with visible expectation. "So, we build him a highway and we have his support for the homeless initiative?".

"Yes", George simply replied with a nod. "Democrats like the initiative". Then the geeky-looking man warningly added the bad news, "We have problems with our own people".

Renee could easily guess which republican in particular was giving them trouble. "Speaker Forbes".

"He was not happy with the initiative", George confirmed, and took a seat at the table.

Allison was not very concerned about that. "He'll have to live with it".

Lynnette's stunning amber-brown eyes were nailed in George. She was a bit confused. "But the initiative has enough support despite the speaker's objections, right? Are we sure it'll pass?"

"97 percent sure", George replied smirking with confidence, showing some of his cockiness. The deputy's smile was always either smug or dorky.

"Then we can use it for the president to look victorious", Lynnette concluded enthusiastically. But then she stopped herself and looked at the president awkwardly. "That is, ma'am, if you want to make the deal with North".

"Yes. Make the deal", the president ordered, looking directly at George.

The Brown-Georgetown graduated was the man in charge of getting the initiative passed. Because of his experience with legislators, Renee normally delegated the legislatives issues to him, except the Moss-Buchanan Act, because she was very personally invested in it.

"All right", George agreed promptly.

Subsequently, Allison changed topic. Her baby-blue eyes went from George to Caldwell. The president was clearly not pleased. "Cal, about the section on the Blue Ribbon Commission". She was going to announce a bipartisan Blue Ribbon Commission to study the long-term future Entitlements Programs. But she was not happy with the too-soft language of the speech.

Caldwell straightened his back abruptly in alert. "Is there any problem with it, Madam President?". He was playing dumb. He knew very well what the problem was.

Allison knew he was just playing dumb. But she let that go and simply explained her objection, "The first draft I read said, _'The first fiscal priority of the government must be, will be, ensuring Social security and Medicare.'_ But now it says _'setting aside our partisan blinders'_", she read that from a copy of the speech and then looked at Caldwell with a _what-the hell_ expression. "What does it mean? Am I going to compromise and raise retirement age?".

"Of course not, ma'am", the short rotund man replied firmly and quickly.

The president continued scolding her communications director with her firmest tone. "The draft said, '_Our_ _commitment to the full benefits promised to Americans is absolute_'. That's what _I_ want. I want our commitment to be absolute".

"It's still absolute", Caldwell assured her. "We are simply open to new ideas and that's what it said".

George, Renee, Lynnette and Angie were incredibly uncomfortable and exchanged awkward looks as they silently observed the argument between their president and the communications director.

The president then showed Caldwell another part of the speech she disliked. "And here… Paragraph 367, you took away the word 'vigorously' from the first sentence". She paused for a moment. She then questioned him defiantly, "Aren't we going to vigorously pursue campaign finance reform?".

"Lynnette and I feel the word 'vigorously' is inflammatory", Caldwell gently explained.

Allison frowned. Then she looked at the others. "Please, leave me alone with Caldwell".

They all knew Caldwell was in trouble and they could sense why. Lynnette and Angie shot him sympathetic looks before leaving the room.

Once she was alone with her communications director, Allison became even more severe and decided to complain about a different part of the speech. "Just look at this…". She pointed with her finger at a quote about affirmative action she had highlighted and read it out loud. "_Now that we've abolished discrimination in our laws, we need to abolish it in our hearts and minds_". She then made a pause. She was running out of patience. "Let mi tell you something, Cal… I read this ten times and I still don't know what my position on affirmative action is".

"It's purposely nonspecific, ma'am", Cal explained softly and apparently calm.

Allison looked at him like saying _you-think_? Then she complained with exasperation, "I don't even know what we're talking about".

The short man stated tranquilly, "It's obviously nodding in the direction of affirmative action".

Allison wanted a much stronger speech, not a speech that simply led slightly in some direction. And she knew why Caldwell had written a weak speech. She shook her head and looked at her communications director like a profoundly disappointed mother, "What are you doing, Caldwell?"

Actually, they both knew what he was doing. Caldwell looked beat. "I'm trying to write a good speech".

"You're trying to make everyone happy", the president argued a bit loudly. "Instead of expressing and defending my ideas you're trying to get everybody to like me". She paused and Caldwell remained silent. He couldn't deny it. "I want to speak my mind. I'm not here to please everybody".

"With all due respect, ma'am, nobody wins an election by pissing everybody off", Caldwell candidly affirmed.

"That's what this is all about", the president stated unsurprised, thinking '_Now we are finally being honest'_. "You're thinking about reelection".

The short rotund man looked down and spoke softly but sincerely. "Somebody should".

"I don't know if I'm running yet", Allison told him rather sharply. Her face was clearly saying _stop-pressuring-me_. "And even if I decide to run again, I'm not gonna spend the next two years campaigning. I'm going to do what's best for the American people. I'm gonna defend what I believe. If you can't do that I'm gonna find someone who can".

Suddenly alarmed, Caldwell stood up from his chair in a second. "That won't be necessary, Madam President. I'll change what you don't like about the speech". To his relief, the president nodded approvingly. He cleared his throat awkwardly and added one last thing. "Now, if I may… my advice is that you make your decision soon".

The president didn't say anything. She simply stood there looking defeated.

**09.07.46- 09.07.47- 09.07.48- 09.07.49**

**FBI Headquarters **

Elizabeth Stockard was holding a meeting as well. She was meeting with field agents Peter Remick, Dale Reynolds, Glenn Park, Roberto Mizelli and with senior data analyst Janis Gold. They were all sitting down but Liz, who was standing in front of a board with pictures of different criminals. She pointed at one of those pictures as he spoke with a commanding voice. "As you know, this is Jacob Bukin. We arrested him last month. He was part of a Russian gang that traffics with young girls, weapons and cocaine. But we don't know who he works for. He hasn't revealed any name".

"Because they'll take him out if he talks", Roberto Mizelli guessed easily.

"Exactly", Liz confirmed. "And he doesn't trust the witness protection program".

"In his cellphone there were several calls made to a man called Andrian Jacobi", Janis informed.

"Of course Jacobi denies being involved in Bukin's criminal activities", Liz added to nobody's surprise.

"And we can't prove he's lying", Glenn Park guessed rapidly.

"What about Bukin's bank accounts?", Dale Reynolds asked next, as he looked at Bukin's picture thoughtfully. "Do we know where he gets money from?"

"It's impossible to know", Janis replied. "He got paid in cash and deposited the money in the Bahamas".

"The good news is that Jacobi is hiring new personnel for his restaurant. So we can send an agent to work there undercover", Liz told the others. "Now… they probably know all the agents in this area. So we have to borrow someone from the west cost".

"I know the director of the office in Seattle", Peter Remick said.

"Okay. Talk to him about sending us a man", Liz told him. Then she addressed Glenn Park, "Now, where are we in the Mosque case?".

"Nowhere", Glenn regretfully informed. He, Agent Jeffrey Teller and Director Leon Craig were investigating some threats against a mosque. "The calls were made from a secured line".

"But we know the threats are serious?", Liz inquired.

"They wouldn't bother using a secured line for a prank", Glenn replied.

Liz pondered the situation silently for a moment. Then she looked directly at Dale Reynolds, "You and agent Remick should watch the Mosque. We need to catch this person in the act".

"Ma'am, we should also have undercover agents watching inside the building", Glenn suggested. "I recommend Agent Contractor and Agent Kapoor".

"All right", Liz approved with a nod. "Call them". She then considered the meeting over. "Okay, people, let's get to work. We'll meet again this afternoon and I want the written reports. I know writing those reports is a drag". Everyone chuckled softly and Liz smiled. "But it's necessary".

The agents politely said _'Yes, ma'am' _and headed to do their jobs. Liz then went to her office and turned her laptop on. Then she looked at her cellphone and realized it was off. It was strange. The 'off' button must have been pressed by accident. She turned the phone on and checked her voice mail. Her first message was from her boyfriend. The sound of Leo's voice made her smile.

"_Hey, Goldilocks. I've just left Cooper in the school and now I've to go to meet the Iman. I'll see you later. I love you" _

The following message was from her mother.

"_Hi, Lizzy. It's mom. You haven't called us in a while. .I just wanted to know how you're doing. Please call me back. I love you". _

Liz's lips curbed in a smile as she thought about her parents. She silently promised herself to call them more often.

"_Hello. This is Holly Burke, Taylor's mom. I was thinking that, since our kids enjoy spending time together so much we could take them to McDonalds this weekend. Let me know what you think_"

The FBI agent smiled happily. She was happy that Cooper was making friends. She had been very worried about her son for a while. The nine year old kid had to adjust to a new school, a new city, a new apartment and a stepdad, and he had diabetes, to make things worse. It had been very difficult at first. But they were all doing well now.

Suddenly, her face turned deadly serious when she heard the last message.

"_Agent Stockard, this is Jason Pillar. I need to see you urgently. There's a group of people trying to kill me. Since last May I've been hiding in Argentina but now they found me. I'm willing to turn myself in and give you all the evidence I have. It's the evidence Charles Logan used to blackmail the Russians. I'll be at Dulles international airport. Please, hurry_".

Without a second of hesitation, Liz took her gun, her cellphone and left the office. Then she searched for agent Roberto Mizzeli. "Agent Mizzeli, I need to go to Dulles airport right now. Come with me".

Roberto was confused by the urgency in Elizabeth's tone. "What's wrong, Agent Stockard?".

"I'll explain on our way there", Liz told him while she practically ran to her vehicle. They got to the parking lot and got inside her car, a dark-grey Ford Focus. As soon as she began driving, Liz took her cell phone and called Leo.

Leo was with Jeffrey Teller interviewing an Iman when he heard his cellphone ringing. He looked at it and a beautiful picture of Liz popped up in the little screen. "Excuse me. I've got to take this", he told the Iman, who nodded understandably. He walked to a place where he could talk privately. "Hey".

"Leo… I've got a call from Jason Pillar", Liz told him as she drove without wasting a second. Mizzelli gave her a surprised look. He was learning about the situation right then.

Leo was absolutely shocked. "What?".

"He says he's at Dulles's airport. He claims a group of people is trying to kill him. He wants to give us evidence… I guess that in exchange for protection", Liz rapidly explained.

"What evidence?", Leo inquired, with a suspicion in mind.

"The one Charles Logan used to blackmail Suvarov", Liz replied.

Leo scratched his brown soul patch doubtfully. "Do you think it's actually Pillar?".

"I recognized his voice", Elizabeth affirmed with confidence. "When I was undercover with Logan, it was Pillar who called me to arrange the meetings".

"Are you on your way to the airport?", Leo asked, just to make sure.

"Yeah", Liz confirmed.

"Okay. Teller and I will be there as soon as possible", the FBI director assured her.

"Okay. But just you and Teller. A big number of agents will spook him", Liz said sensibly.

He agreed readily. "Okay. I'll see you there".

"Okay. Bye". Liz hung up the phone and kept driving.

**09.14.24- 09.14.25- 09.14.26- 09.14.27**

**The Old Executive Office Building. **

Nathaniel O'Malley, director of secret service white house operations, was now one of the busiest people in the world. He was in charge of the security for the State of The Union Address. He had to make the capitol the safest place on earth. In addition, he would have to take the president to the cemetery because it was the second anniversary of Roger Taylor's death. Traitors in the secret service had killed him nine days after the inauguration because they confirmed that the young man knew too much.

At that moment, Nathan was in his office, looking at the securities protocols for the millionth time, trying to catch any mistake he could have made.

Then Agent Evan McDonnell, an attractive man in his early thirties with black hair and russet-brown eyes, knocked on the door and walked in greeting Nathan with a charming smile. "Good morning, boss".

"Good morning", Nathan greeted back, with his normal serious expression. "Do you have the files?".

"Of course". The younger agent promptly handed his boss the bunch of files he had been carrying. "The extra men will come from Arkansas, Ohio and California".

"Good", agent O'Malley approved with a nod, while Evan took a seat. Nathan gave the files a look. He had already met all of them, but he wanted to read their files again. Then he raised his eyebrows when he noticed something strange. "This woman… Melinda Kirshner… I haven't met her".

"She will arrive in seven hours. She's coming from Venezuela", Evan explained.

Nathan frowned and narrowed his aquamarine eyes. "Why?".

In his usual carefree manner, Evan informed his boss, "She's from Arkansas. But she was undercover in Venezuela working on the Iranian terrorists' case. She discovered they were hiding in Venezuela. "

"She found them? How come I didn't know about this?", Nathan practically yelled. He was very upset because nobody had told him anything. Evan was in charge of that case but was supposed to report everything.

"I was going to tell you on our weekly report, Nate", Evan told him calmly. "It's just happened".

Nathan examined the picture of Agent Kirshner. She was a beautiful woman with short brown hair and dark-brown eyes. The woman also had a couple of brown moles on her right cheek. Nathan rubbed his chin doubtfully. "I don't think we should use her. She's not even in the country yet".

"But she'll be here before the address", Evan argued passionately. "And she's one of the best agents we've got. I'm telling you, she's really good. They love her in Arkansas".

"I'll decide after I meet her", Nathan declared soberly.

Evan nodded approvingly. "Fair enough. But give her a chance. We really need her".

He then examined the photo again and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "She looks familiar".

"Have you ever been in Arkansas?", Evan asked indifferently.

"No", the director replied with his eyes still nailed on the photo, trying to figure out where he knew that woman from.

"I think she came to your seminar. It's on her file", the younger agent told him nonchalantly.

Nathan was a very smart guy who had graduated from Dartmouth University with a mayor in Computer Science and a minor in Government. He also had a Master in Forensic Sciences from George Washington University, with a concentration in Forensic Toxicology. He had served as special Agent in the Washington Field Office. He had risen rapidly to the managerial level. He had served in supervisory positions in both protective and investigative assignments, serving as Special Agent in Charge of the Maryland Field Office, the Washington Field Office, and the Vice Presidential Protective Division. Because of his qualifications, he was often invited to teach seminars in the academy. His seminars were normally about his specialty, psychological profile of terrorists.

He read the woman's file and saw that, indeed, she had taken his seminar about criminal profiles. "Oh, you're right". He scratched the back of his head, still with doubts in his mind. "I don't remember seeing her there. I must be getting old".

But nothing was farther from the truth. He was 57 years old. But he looked much younger than that. The tall and skinny man with sandy-brown hair and deep set aquamarine green-eyes was very attractive and, in addition to working hard, went to the gym often. He had the body of a man in his forties and a sharp mind.

Evan waved his hand dismissively and did some ass-kissing. "Please… I could swear you're thirty five".

Nathan chuckled and shook his head.

**09.18.44- 09.18.45- 09.18.46- 09.18.47**

**White House**

Once the senior staff meeting was over, Renee headed back to her big office. She first reached her outer-office and saw her assistants, Eric and Zoe, working hard as usual by their desks. Surprisingly, Colonel Nora McNally, Jack's deputy, was also there. "Nora".

"I need to speak with you", Nora said somberly and very quickly.

Renee could tell it was important, so she agreed rapidly. "All right",

Zoe stood up right away. "Would any of you like some coffee?".

"I'd love a cappuccino and a blueberry muffin, please", Renee told her second assistant.

"And you, Colonel?", Zoe respectfully addressed the strikingly tall blonde woman.

"Nothing for me. Thank you, dear", Nora sweetly said to the young assistant.

Both women then headed to Renee's office. The office's owner went to stand behind her desk. "What's going on?"

Nora worriedly explained the situation to the red-haired woman, "NSC just got a call. There's a Lithuania -Russia-Kamistan thing happening".

Renee was instantly alarmed. "What thing?".

"My office is supposed to be sending up the briefing book but it's not here yet", the blonde woman replied and wrinkled her tiny perfect nose awkwardly.

The Chief of Staff got slightly annoyed. "Well, explain it to me in a nutshell".

Nora sighed and complied. "Darius Lubys just booted a Kamistani government delegation out of the country. He's..."

Renee impatiently completed Nora's sentence. "The acting President of Lithuania".

"He was installed after president Karosa was assassinated", Nora gently reminded the other woman, while Renee took a seat behind the desk. The tall blonde woman sat across the chief of staff and kept talking. "They were negotiating a Kamistan-Lithuania strategic partnership making plans for an oil pipeline from Lithuania to Kamistan".

"And Lubys called it off", Renee guessed smoothly.

"Yes", Nora confirmed with a nod. Then she elaborated, "Karosa wanted to do business with Kamistan. Lubys has stronger ties with the Russians".

Renee could see where it was going. "And he killed the Kamistan oil deal and Dalia Hassan's pissed".

"Exceptionally", Nora highlighted. "And the Russians want the oil, so they pressured Lubys. You have to call Nikolai karkov and tell him to back off".

Renee was instantly appalled by the suggestion. "I can't make a bullying phone call to the Russian president because the Kamistani got bounced out of an oil deal".

"It's more serious than that", Nora told Renee with a '_believe me_' tone. "Lubys is _acting_ President. He was supposed to hold elections but he called them off".

Renee corrected her without hesitation, "He suspended them. He didn't call them off".

Nora argued with the other woman very firmly, "He suspended them weeks ago and has made no move to reschedule. The guy's a Russian puppet. It was looking like the Kamistani were getting the deal so he stopped negotiations and kicked them out of the country".

"Lithuania isn't Kamistan's only oil source", Renee affirmed, a bit weakly.

"They're their most promising one", Nora pointed out without hesitation. "Kamistan's looking at major instability on their border, all because the Russians want the oil and are willing to fight for it. Worst-case scenario, two nuclear powers are positioning themselves to actively engage in an armed conflict over oil". She sighed looking defeated. "This has catastrophe written all over it".

The Chief of Staff then realized the Deputy National Security Advisor was right. The situation could generate an armed conflict. She then decided to call Karkov. She pressed a button in the intercom to talk to her first assistant. "Eric? See if you can reach the Russian President".

"_Of course, Ma'am"_

Both women sat down in silence as they waited for the call and just looked at each other awkwardly for a moment. After some hesitation, Renee spoke about a more personal topic. "Nora… It 's just occurred me that I never thanked you".

Nora looked like she didn't understand. "Why would you have to thank me?".

"You did a great job covering for Jack while I was in the hospital", Renee reminded her with honest and clear appreciation. "Thanks to you he could really be there for me".

"I was happy to help", the blonde woman said dismissively and gave Renee a smile. Right then she noticed, to her surprise, the engagement ring in Renee's finger. "I guess congratulations are in order".

At first, Renee looked at her with confusion. "I'm sorry?". Nora pointed at Renee's gorgeous engagement ring. The bride-to-be's lips curbed up in a smile. "Yeah. Thank you".

After that Nora changed the topic of conversation. "How's the president doing?"

Renee didn't understand the reason for that question. "How's she doing?".

"It's the second anniversary of her son's death", Nora pointed out softly, with concern written all over her beautiful features.

Renee had obviously noticed the date already. She wasn't worried thought. "She's Allison Taylor. She's doing fine. She's focused on her job", the chief of staff assured the other woman. Next her features hardened and she spoke with a warning in her tone, "Nora… we are not supposed to talk to her about Roger, okay? Unless she mentions him first".

"I know", Nora reassured the red-haired with a solemn tone. Everyone knew President Taylor suffered in private and didn't like talking about Roger and the pain of losing him with others.

"_Ms. Walker, President Karkov is on line one"_, Eric announced through the intercom.

"Patch him through", Renee requested.

**09.23.26 - 09.23.27 - 09.23.28 - 09.23.29 – **

_Renee was taking the phone call._

_Meanwhile, Allison was sitting behind her desk working on the speech with Caldwell _

_At the same time, Leo and Jeffrey Teller were in a car, on their way to the airport. _

_In the meantime, Liz and Roberto were on their way to the airport too. _

As Liz was driving, she took her cellphone and decided to call Renee to let her know about Jason Pillar. Since Renee had almost been killed by the Russians, she deserved to know Pillar had shown up with evidence. She dialled the number of Renee's office.

The phone over Eric Denzel Pratt's desk rang and he picked it up after two rings. "Renee Walker's office. How may I help you?".

"Hi. This is Liz Stockard. I need to speak with Renee", Liz announced as she drove her car.

"I'm afraid she's not available at this moment. Would you like to leave a message?", Eric asked courteously and put some papers in order at the same time.

"Please, just tell her to call me as soon as she can", the agent requested with urgency in her voice. She then disconnected the call and rushed to call Jack's office.

Ruth Carmichael, Jack's assistant, promptly took the phone call. "Jack Bauer's office".

"Hi. I'm Liz Stockard. May I talk to Jack, please?", Liz requested. She was getting anxious.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. Mr. Bauer has not arrived yet", Ruth informed calmly. "May I take a message?".

Liz sighed frustrated. "Just… just tell him to call me as soon as possible".

Ruth naturally agreed. "Of course, Ma'am".

**09.32.57 – 09.32.58 .09.32.59 - 09.33.00 AM **

**Washington DC. – The White House**

Jack Bauer arrived to the White House looking hansom in his DKNY navy blue suit and a green tie that, according to his fiancée, went perfect with his aquamarine-green eyes. His hair was still damped, since he had taken a shower just before leaving his house.

As he stepped out of his black ford mustang, he spotted Chloe O'Brian, who was also arriving to the White House. Indeed, Chloe was there to see him, to brief him on the security measures taken by CTU for the State of the Union. She had a meeting with Nathan O'Malley as well. CTU and Secret Service were working together on the security for the State of the Union.

Seeing his dear friend put a smile on Jack's face. "Hey, Chloe"

"Hi", Chloe enthusiastically greeted her best friend back. "How was California?"

They both continued walking quickly side by side as they chatted. Jack smiled slightly and replied her friend's question. "Good". He thought about the nice conversation he had shared with his daughter, and things had gone well in the professional arena too. "Nadia's replacement seems very good".

"I'm glad she's gone. I can tell you that much", Chloe admitted with her usual bluntness.

"The new director reminded me of Tony… back when he was a great guy", Jack told her as they passed through a security check point. He saddened momentarily when he thought about his former friend who had turned into a traitor because of Michelle's death. Chloe saddened too. Tony's betrayal had hurt her as well. Jack decided to change the topic. "And how is Prescott?"

Chloe smiled proudly when she thought about her son. "He's fine. Thank you. Can you believe that he opened the computer to look at the inside the other day? Without any help whatsoever".

Jack raised his eyebrows with surprise. "Wow… he's only six".

"He's my little genius", Chloe proclaimed. She was obviously a very proud mother.

They passed through another security check point and then arrived to the office. They saw Ruth sitting by her desk right outside the office. The sixty year old assistant promptly stood up to greet her boss and his friend politely. "Good morning, Mr. Bauer, Mrs. O'Brian".

Jack smiled clearly in a good mood as he greeted Ruth back. "Good morning, Mrs. Carmichael".

Chloe merely nodded awkwardly as a greeting.

The assistant then rapidly gave Jack his messages. Her boss liked everything to be done fast. She was normally more meticulous than quick, but she had adjusted to Jack's way of work. "Liz Stockard called. She needs you to call her back. And Colonel McNally and Ms. Walker need to see you. They are in Ms. Walker's office".

Jack nodded acknowledging the information. "Okay. Thank you".

"Do you want anything to drink?", Ruth offered politely. She looked at Jack and then at Chloe.

"Just a black coffee, please", Jack requested.

Chloe declined the offer. "I'm fine. Thank you".

"All right". Ruth smiled and headed to get the coffee for Jack. But she stopped dryly and turned around to look at him. She had forgotten to say something. "Oh, sir… congratulations on your engagement".

Jack was thrown aback. They hadn't told people about the engagement just yet. "How do you know…?"

"I saw Ms. Walker yesterday. It was hard not to notice the beautiful ring", Ruth explained with a smile.

"Well… thank you". Jack exchanged an awkward look with Chloe, who was absolutely stunned. Then he addressed his assistant again. "Please, tell Nora I'm in my office".

"Of course", Ruth granted and left.

Chloe and Jack entered his office. He nonchalantly began checking the papers he had on his desk. She stared at him with her hazel eyes wide-opened. She was astonished. "You're engaged? When did that happen?".

"After her birthday party", Jack replied casually.

That meant he had been engaged in secret for nine days. Chloe was a bit offended. "Why didn't you tell me? I'm your friend".

"I'm sorry". Jack felt a little bad for not sharing with Chloe something so important. "We wanted Kim to be the first one to know and I saw her yesterday".

Then Chloe nodded understanding perfectly Jack's point. Kim was naturally the most important person in the world for him. She took a seat on the couch Jack kept in his office and pondered about the state of affairs. "So, what did Kim say?".

Jack took a seat behind his desk. "She's happy for me''

"I am happy for you too", Chloe immediately said. She and Jack exchanged smiles. The nerdy woman then wrinkled her nose a bit awkwardly. "I thought that, after all you went through you'd be too scared to get engaged".

"I'm scared", Jack admitted softly without looking directly at Chloe. "Everything is going so well, that I'm afraid something bad will happen soon". He then looked at her friend again. "But I really want to marry her. I want her to be my family… officially".

"I'm glad", Chloe approved with a very solemn expression. "She makes you happy. You've smiled more in the last two minutes than in the last ten years".

In fact, Jack had noticed that already. "I know", he whispered showing some concern. When he was happy something bad happened.

Suddenly, Ruth spoke thought the intercom. _"Sir, Ms. Stockard is on the phone"._

"Patch her through", Jack instantly commanded. Ruth did so and Jack began talking to Elizabeth. He put her on the speaker so Chloe could hear. "Liz?"

"Hey, Jack", Liz greeted very fast as she kept driving to get to the airport. Then, without much preamble, she summarized the situation talking really fast. "Listen, Jason Pillar called. He's in Dulles airport. He has the evidence Charles Logan used to blackmail Suvarov. He's going to give it to us".

Jack and Chloe exchanged stunned looks. "That's great. Did he say what kind of evidence?".

"No", Liz replied. "But he said a group of people is trying to kill him".

"He must have meant people Suvarov sent, right?", Jack speculated.

"I think so. After all, the evidence _is_ against him", Liz pointed out. "And with the trial coming up…"

Jack agreed with her in a heartbeat. "Right".

"I just hope I get to him before they do", Elizabeth sighed. She honestly didn't fell very confident. "Anyway… I just wanted you to know. I'll keep you posted".

"Thank you". Then Jack and Chloe exchanged another look. They were both thinking the same thing. They were about to get the much-needed evidence. Things were definitely too good to be true.

**09.37. 46 - 09. 37. 47 - 09.37. 48 - 09.37. 49 - **

In Renee's office, Renee and Nora were meeting with Darrell Caine, Undersecretary of State, since the Secretary of State hadn't arrived to the White House yet. They were all sitting around the coffee table, on the pink velvet couches Renee had in her office. There were coffees and muffins over the table.

Darrell drank a bit of his coffee while he considered the situation and then pointed out what he thought was obvious. "The Russians should put pressure on Lubys to resume the talks with the IRK".

"They don't want to", Renee explained with a frustrated sigh.

"What do they think at the embassy?", he asked, and then ate some of his blueberry muffin.

Nora was the one who answered his question, "They'd like us to get the Russians to talk to Lubys".

With that, Darrell considered his point validated. His heavy-lidded brandy eyes instantly moved away from Nora to set on Renee. "Seems to be the consensus".

"The Russians don't want to talk to Lubys", the chief of staff told him with a _what-can-I-do_ tone. "Nikolai Karkov said Lubys is doing a fine job".

Nora jumped in to protest in a heartbeat. "It's a big, fat lie".

"Gee…, why didn't I tell him that?", Renee exclaimed sarcastically. She puffed with frustration and paused to try to figure out what to do. "All right, Nora… you let the President know where we are. I'll see what we can do with Kamistan". Then she yelled out for her assistant. "Eric!"

"What are you going to say?", Darrel enquired with growing concern.

"I'm going to urge them to remain calm", the chief of staff replied. Both Nora and Darrell made faces that said _good-luck-with-that._ So she asked them defiantly, "You got a better idea?".

Nobody said anything.

Eric Pratt walked into the office. "Ms. Walker?"

"We need Jack here. And get Dalia Hassan on the phone", Renee requested.

The young black assistant left to do as he was told.

"I'll go brief the president", Nora announced standing up. The blonde woman brushed with her palms the skirt of her immaculate Valentino pale grey skirt suit, which reached five inches above her knees, as if to erase some wrinkles from it. Normally, her clothes had actually no wrinkles.

After Nora left the office, Darrel and Renee waited for Dalia Hassan to get on the phone. As they waited, they drank some coffee and ate muffins while they sat next to each other on one of the pink-velvet couches by the coffee table. They were both pondering about Kamistan and Russia without talking for the moment.

The silence was abruptly broken by Zoe's voice, which was heard through the intercom. _"Ma'am, Liz Stockard is on line two. It's the second time she calls". _

Renee stood up, went behind her desk and pressed a button in her intercom. "Thanks, Zoe". She then picked up the phone to talk to Elizabeth. "Hey, Liz. What's going on?". She heard the news Liz had for her and blinked rapidly with evident surprise. "Really? Are you sure it's not a joke?". She paused to hear the FBI agent's response. She bit her lower lip and nodded. "Okay. Please, keep me posted". Elizabeth promised to do so. "Thank you". Renee hung up with a concerned expression.

Darrell noticed Renee's concern and grew curious. "What happened?".

The chief of staff went back to sit on one of the pastel-pink velvet couches as she told the undersecretary what was going on. "We think someone with evidence against Suvarov is at Dulles airport, waiting for the FBI. He wants to give that evidence".

Darrell stared back at her in complete disbelief as he took the information in. "We have been praying for something like that".

"I know", Renee nodded and bit her lower lip thoughtfully. They were both thinking the same thing… It was too good to be true.

In that moment, Jack walked into the office of the Chief of Staff.

Renee smiled feeling truly happy to see him and her wide smile reached her beautiful hooded eyes. She had missed him, even thought he had only been gone for a couple of days. "Hey".

"Hey". Jack too grinned as his aquamarine eyes met her crystal-blue ones. But he got very soon in business mode and his smile faded. "Have you heard about Jason Pillar?"

"Yes", Renee nodded. "Have you heard about Lithuania-Kamistan-Russia?"

"I've just run into Nora. She told me.". Jack sighed and shook his head. "That's not going to end well".

Darrell shook his head too and pressed his lips together with concern. "You can say that again".

Jack, instinctively, took a seat right next to Renee. They both had missed each other so much. Renee wanted to hold him, kiss him and tell him she had missed him. But, naturally, she couldn't. Instead, she got her hand closer to his as he put his hand closer to hers and their little fingers touched.

Soon Renee put Jack up to speed. "We are waiting for Dalia Hassan to get on the phone".

Jack nodded acknowledging what she was saying.

Darrell then made a suggestion about the Lithuania-Kamistan- Russia situation. "You could say something like…". He stopped for a second to think and began reciting what he thought Renee should tell Dalia Hassan. "We realize this is a very disconcerting turn of events. We'd like to encourage them to keep an open mind. President Taylor will be speaking to Acting President Lubys tomorrow and also contacting President Karkov. We feel confident they'll find a way to reopen negotiations for a

Kamistam - Lithuania partnership".

Renee agreed with that without much hesitation. "Okay".

At that moment, Eric came in with an announcement. "We've got B'Dar on line one". It was 7 PM in the capital of the Republic of Kamistan and Dalia Hassan had just come back from a meeting.

"Thanks". Renee walked to her desk and picked up the phone. She began talking with a very diplomatic tone. "Good morning, President Hassan, thank you for speaking with us. We realize this is a very discouraging...". Dalia interrupted Renee abruptly and protested very loudly. The Kamistani woman was clearly very pissed because the Russians had caused the end of her oil deal with Lithuania. Renee gently tried to get her to calm down, "Ma'am, if I could...". But she was drowned out by Dalia's protests again. "Ma'am… Madam President... If I could finish my...". She then covered the speaker of the phone and pointed out the evident to Darrell and Jack. "This isn't working".

**09.44. 36 - 09. 44. 37 - 09.44. 38 - 09.44. 39**

**Dulles International Airport**

Elizabeth and Roberto arrived to Dulles International airport. They instantly began looking for Jason Pillar. They were surprised when they noticed several police officers right outside one of the bathrooms. The entrance to the bathroom was blocked by a yellow band that said '_crime scene_'. There was also a bunch of curious civilians gathered around there, talking about the mysterious murder.

"Nothing to see here, pals", an officer said, while trying to get the civilians to leave the scene.

Liz and Roberto exchanged a look. The same suspicion was in their minds.

"You question the people", Liz rapidly ordered Roberto. "I'll talk to the police".

Roberto left to do as he had been told and Liz hurried to introduce herself to one of the officers. She showed him her badge. "I'm Agent Elizabeth Stockard. FBI".

The officer was surprised to see an FBI agent there. Narrowing his eyes with distrust, he introduced himself too, also showing his badge. "I'm Sergeant Avery Queenan".

Liz didn't waste another second with formalities. "What happened here, Sergeant?",

"White male around forty six years old. He was murdered. Someone sliced his throat", Avery explained. _Nothing-that-concerns-you_ was implied in his tone.

"Do you have an ID?", Elizabeth asked, suspecting the dead man was Jason Pillar.

Right on cue, Sergeant Queenan's partner appeared. "Avery, we found his passport".

Avery took the passport and read it. He then looked at Liz. "His name was Mark Lemond".

Liz suspected that was a fake id. "May I see…?". She reached out her hand to take the passport and Avery gave it to her. It indeed said '_Mark Lemond'_ but the picture didn't lie. "This was Jason Pillar. We've been looking for him since last May. This falls under FBI jurisdiction".

"I need to clear that with my superiors", Avery told her, with a _not-so-fast_ tone. "Meanwhile, you can talk to my partner, Sergeant Zackary Bridges". He turned his gaze to Zackary. "Zack, cooperate with the lady, okay?". He gave Liz a sort of smug smile and took a quick discreet look at her immense breasts. Then he walked away.

Liz frowned annoyed. She didn't appreciate being called '_the lady' _and she definitely didn't like a man looking at her boobs. She found it condescending and disrespectful. But she was too used to men who treated female agents like that. She let it go, since they had much bigger problems. She decided to address Zackary and focus on what was important. "I need to see the body, Sergeant"

"Of course". Zack took the attractive blonde female agent to the bathroom, where Jason Pillar's lifeless body laid on the floor. Other police officers where taking pictures of the crime scene and searching for fingerprints. While Elizabeth began scanning the scene with her big heavy-lidded sapphire eyes, Zackary informed her, "He's going to be taken to Saint Mary's hospital in Richmond for an autopsy. But that's just a formality. It's clear that they killed him by cutting his throat".

Liz took another look around. She noticed a big bag which content was being examined by the police officers. "What was in the bag?"

"Nothing but clean clothes", Zack replied dismissively.

Naturally the killer had taken the evidence Pillar had claimed to have. Elizabeth wasn't surprised, but pissed. "Damn it".

Then a female Hispanic-looking officer approached them with clear urgency. "Zack, we found a brown hair. It's not the victim's".

"Pamela, do you know how many people come here every day?", Zack asked rhetorically. "I'm afraid many of them have brown hair".

"But this hair was in the victim's shirt", Pamela told him. "It's worth analysing".

"We'll take it to our lav for analysis", Liz said without hesitating. Pamela nodded appreciatively.

At that moment, Leo emerged in the bathroom looking anxious and saw their only lead lying dead on the floor. "Damn it". He then looked at Liz. "What do we know?"

"Not much", Liz admitted to her boyfriend. "Someone cut his throat".

"No sign of the evidence?", Leo asked only for confirmation. He could guess the answer.

"None", Liz confirmed. "Except a brown hair that could be doer's... or not".

Unsurprised, Leo scratched the back of his head, trying to think of his next move. "Well, I'll take the hair to the lav. You get the tapes of the security cameras and take them to Janis".

"I'll watch them with her", Elizabeth suggested. "We can start by searching known criminals with the face-recognition program".

"Yeah. Do that", Leo approved quickly and nodded. Elizabeth nodded too and then left immediately to do as they had agreed.

Nearby, in the airport's cafeteria, a fat Russian man, with brown hair, steel-blue eyes and a nasty burn scar on the side of his face, was having a coffee with a newspaper in his hands and a bag next to him. He looked like just a regular man waiting for a flight. Nobody would have guessed he had just killed a man in the bathroom and was now observing the blonde woman he had to kill next.

Elizabeth Stockard passed rapidly by him. The man looked at his cellphone and saw, once again, the picture his contact had provided. He confirmed that the woman with short blonde curls and heavy-lidded sapphire eyes was really the woman he had to whack, so he began following her discretely.

**09.48. 46 - 09. 48. 47 - 09.48. 48 - 09.48. 49**

Even though she was not a part of the cabinet, the Chief Of Staff had to attend the monthly cabinet meetings. She was standing there waiting for the meeting to begin. It was supposed to start at 09.45, but some cabinet members and the president hadn't arrived yet. As she waited, she talked with Tim Woods, Secretary of Homeland Security, about a gun-control bill. She shrugged in a _what-can-I-do_ fashion. "I don't know what to tell you, Tim. We did a poll. For reasons passing understanding, sixty five per cent of Americans think the country is safer if we let everyone have guns".

Tim sighed and shook his head with resignation. Suddenly, he noticed something sparkling in Renee's hand. It was an engagement ring. He was surprised by it. "You and Jack got engaged?".

"Yeah", Renee confirmed with a genuine smile.

"Well… congratulations", Tim told her politely. He felt a bit sad though, since he had a small crush on Renee but was willing to be a good sport.

Secretary Of State, Jim Heller, was also there. He couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Renee and Tim. He intruded in the chat and corrected the young man. "You congratulate the groom, Tim. To the bride you say _'best wishes'._". Then his glacier-blue eyes met Renee's. His expression remained very serious. "I wish you the best".

To a stranger, it seemed like the old man was simply correcting a younger man, who had made a protocol mistake, and saying something nice to a recently-engaged woman. But Renee could read Heller's tone and expression accurately. The man was actually saying '_Good luck, Renee. You'll need it'_. She didn't appreciate that comment. Three months before, she had heard a horrible argument between Heller and Jack. Apparently, Heller had one said Jack was cursed. She recalled Larry saying something similar right after reading Jack's file, a few days before meeting him. Both of them were so wrong.

Tim felt a little bit embarrassed because of the mistake he had just made. "Oh, I'm sorry". Then his dark brown eyes shifted from Heller to Renee. "I wish you the best".

"Thank you, Tim", Renee smiled a little at the secretary of Homeland Security. She knew he meant well. She then looked pointedly at Heller. "But I already have the best. Actually, I feel I've been… blessed".

Heller swallowed feeling incredibly uncomfortable all the sudden. But then he managed to give her a tiny smile diplomatically. "Good for you".

Renee decided to just change the topic. "Sir, are you aware of the situation in Lithuania?".

Heller thought about that mess over there and felt beat. "Yes. Darrell told me". He shook his head and spoke warningly. "That cannot end well".

"We should talk about that after the meeting", Renee told him with a serious tone. It didn't escape her that Jack and Jim had said the same thing. Those two were more alike than they thought.

Heller nodded in a heartbeat. "We will".

Then Allen Monroe showed up for his first cabinet meeting. He was the United States Attorney General, who had taken office after the death of Ned Borden after a very quick confirmation. Allen was a fifty five year old man with piercing steel-grey eyes. He had abundant messy black hair with hints of white. His black moustache was huge and so were his sideburns.

He walked toward Renee with an extremely serious expression like a bullet to its target. "Ms. Walker… I need to speak with you".

They both walked to an area of the room where they could talk privately. Renee was s bit worried, since he looked so grave. "Yes?"

Without much preamble, Allen began explaining what he needed to discuss. "I've been reviewing some of Ned's old cases and I found something interesting".

Renee straightened her back in alert. "You did?"

The Attorney General scowled, clearly unhappy. "He filed a complain to the FBI office, led then by Larry Moss, because of the way you interrogated Alan Tanner… and Alan Wilson hours after that. But the president told him to let that go". He shook his head, clearly disapproving Renee's and Allison's actions.

"And the president doesn't want that issue to come to light now", Renee warned him gravely. She was nervous but tried hard not to show it.

"I know". Allen's features darkened. He paused and then spoke very harshly. "You've been spoiled, Ms. Walker. Too many people have let you get away with many things. I just wanted to let you know that I'll be watching you and, from now on, if you break the law, there _will_ be severe consequences". He lifted his index finger for emphasis.

Renee was unfazed. She was not planning to break the law again anyway. "Sir, I expect nothing less".

Then, President Taylor arrived with the Secretary of Education. Everybody was then present and the meeting could begin.

**09.53. 26 - 09. 53. 27 - 09.53. 28 - 09.53. 29**

_In the cabinet meeting, everybody took their seats around the table._

_Meanwhile, Jack and Nora were in the situation room examining a map with the position of Kamistani and Russian troops. _

_At the same time, Caldwell and Lynnette were working hard on the speech. _

_At that moment, Leo was at the airport talking with a security guard. _

**09.56. 36 - 09. 56. 37 - 09.56. 38 - 09.56. 39**

_In the White House, the cabinet meeting was still going on. _

_In the meantime, Leo was supervising paramedics who were putting Pillar's body in an ambulance._

_Right then, Nora and Jack kept working in the situation room. _

_In the interim, Liz and Roberto got in her dark-grey Ford Focus and left the airport. _

The fat Russian man watched them leave. He was standing next to a white Renault Clio, parked in the Airport's parking lot. Acting naturally, like he owned the vehicle, he easily broke into the car and turned off the alarm. Then he got the car started and drove down the Dulles Airport access road highway.

He drove fast until he caught up with Elizabeth's car. He then speeded and both cars were soon driving side by side. There was then nothing but the glass of the car's window between him and the blonde woman. He took his HK USP Compact side gun, which he had kept concealed under his black sweater. He pointed it at his target and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the car's door.

Elizabeth immediately took her Glock 23 pistol and started shooting back. "Call Leo!", she shouted at her partner.

Roberto took his own gun, moved to quickly to the back seat to be by the window and began shooting at the hostile from there. He shot with one hand and used his free one to take his cell phone and call Leo, who quickly took the call, "Leo, it's Roberto. Liz and I are being shot at. We are in Access Road and Centreville Road".

Leo was already running to his car and desperately gestured for Jeffrey Teller to come with him. "Who is shooting at you?".

"The hostile is very fat… he's wearing a black baseball cup and a black sweater. He drives a Renault Clio", Roberto told him rapidly while he shot at the hostile and then ducked for cover.

"I'm on my way", Leo announced while he and a confused Jeffrey hastily hopped into Leo's car, a navy blue Toyota Corolla E140. 6

The fat Russian man kept shooting at Elizabeth and Roberto. He first managed to hit Elizabeth right in the head. Then the white Renault Clio left the scene at full speed. The fat Russian man didn't even look back. He had to get the hell out of there.

Meanwhile, the dark grey Ford Focus, now out of control, crashed against a tree by the highway and caught fire.

Roberto left the vehicle as fast as he could and went to get Elizabeth out of the car. But, before he could pull her away from the car, it exploded. Roberto's arms caught fire and so did Liz's clothes.

The Hispanic agent screamed in pain while he managed to put off the flames that were devouring his sleeves. Then, he rushed to get a surprisingly inert Elizabeth out of the burning car. To his horror, the female agent's torso and legs were on fire. He desperately put off the consuming flames. Then he checked Elizabeth's pulse and breathing. He shook his head sadly as he realized he couldn't do anything.

Elizabeth Anne Stockard had died from the bullet in her head before the vehicle exploded.

**09.59. 56 - 09. 59. 57 - 09.59. 58 - 09.59. 59 *_Silent Clock_***

**10.00 AM**


	3. I'm Afraid I Have Horrible News

**Author's note:**Thank you to those who reviewed. And thank you to all the readers. The support I get makes me really happy. I hope everyone is enjoying this.

Killing Liz was very hard for me. I grew very fond of her and Leo. But I needed something as dramatic as this to make the day more 24-like. I had to make up for the non-24 things in my stories (happiness, long talks and politics). I honored her with a silent clock because she became a good friend of Jack and Renee during part 3 and she saved their lives at the near-end of part 2.

Thanks to MarsStone for putting this story in the favorite list! It means the world to me.

To KA2000: Welcome to the story! I'm glad I have a new reader. Thank you for reviewing. And thank you for putting me in your favorite list. I'm honored.

**Warning:** Very depressing hour! I cried as I wrote it. Keep tissues handy while you read this.

**Reminder: **A line represents a "Commercial break", which I'll use to 'cheat' and skip a few minutes. There should be four per episode, even though I used two in the first two chapters. From now on, I might use 2, 3 or 4, depending on my need to skip a few minutes.

Also, on the show, because of the "Previously" part, each hour never starts exactly at the beginning of the hour but a few minutes later. I figured I should be true to the show and do the same. In that spirit, I eliminated the "Next" part. And put the "Previously" after the title.

**Disclaimer:** The show it's not mine. Neither are the characters. Except: Leon Craig, Elizabeth Stockard, George Sullivan, Caldwell Coleman, Lynnette Lockhart, Nathaniel O'Malley, Nora McNally and other OC.

**CHAPTER 03:**

"**I'm Afraid I Have Horrible News"**

**Previously:** Because of the Russians, Kamistan couldn't make an oil deal with Lithuania. Once again, there was tension between Russia and the IRK.

Liz got a call from Jason Pillar. He claimed to have evidence he wanted to give her. She went to talk to him and found him dead.

A fat Russian man, who works for a gangster called Andrian Jacobi, who works for a woman called Brooke, was ordered to kill Jason Pillar and then Elizabeth Stockard.

While Liz was investigating Jason's murder, Fat Russian killed her.

_The following takes place between 10.00 AM and 11.00 AM, on the day of the State of the Union Address._

**January 29th 2019 – Wednesday**

**10.02.30 AM **

The fat Russian man drove the stolen white Renault Clio at full speed away from the place where Elizabeth Stockard had died. As he did so, he called Andrian Jacobi, who had ordered him to kill the woman.

Andrian was in the luxurious restaurant his father owned to cover illegal activities. The place was closed because it was too early. Only a few employees were there cleaning the place. Andrian was using his computer, worriedly checking some information Brooke had sent. The mysterious woman was indeed the 'brain' of the operation. Suddenly, his cellphone rang and he took the call after two rings. "Yes?".

"It's me. It's done", the fat man informed with a dreary voice.

"Are you sure?", Andrian asked with genuine concern. Everything had to go well. "Because last time…"

"Are you ever going to let that go?", the fat man asked abruptly. He was really pissed. Twenty nine days before he had tried to kill Renee Walker and failed. Truth be told, he was even more upset about that than his employers and protectors. "And _you_ asked me to make it look like a hit and run. I was going to do something much more effective". '_And much more painful_', he thought to himself.

"Now… now… that's in the past", Andrian declared quickly, mildly embarrassed. "We'll confirm _this_ operation went well soon enough. After that, you can take care of Walker".

"And you'll really let me do it my way this time?", the fat man asked just to be sure.

"Yeah", Andrian confirmed. "Actually, we found the perfect location for ya. It's a house. The owners are in Europe and their son is with an aunt. One room it's sound proof. Apparently the son has a band". They would need a sound proof room, which was the main reason why they had chosen that particular house.

"And you got me the other stuff I need?", Fat Russian asked impatiently.

"Of course", Andrian replied in a heartbeat.

"Good", he said with his usual dreary voice and expression. "We'll talk later".

He hung up the phone without even waiting for an answer.

After two minutes, he decided that it was safe to abandon the white Renault Clio. He parked it and left it there. Since he was wearing surgical gloves, he didn't need to clean any fingerprints.

Nearby, he saw a navy-blue Chevrolet Volt parked. Like an expert, he quickly got in it and got it started.

**10.08.36 - 10.08.37 - 10.08.38 - 10.08.39 AM **

Leon Craig was driving like a maniac his navy blue Toyota Corolla. He knew the woman he loved was in trouble. They had told him that Liz and her partner were being shot at. He desperately tried to get to them to help them.

Suddenly, he saw police cars blocking the traffic, two ambulances and Elizabeth's car crashed against a tree. It was all burnt. The FBI director abruptly stopped his vehicle and stepped out of it. His partner, Jeffrey Teller followed him. Leo saw Agent Roberto Mizelli with two paramedics who were taking care of the agent's burns.

Leo looked around and saw no trace of his girlfriend. He ran toward Roberto desperately. "Where's Liz? Where's Liz?". He then grew even more desperate each second. "Where is she?".

A paramedic was treating the second-degree burns in Roberto's hands and arms, and the minor burns in his face. Roberto gestured for the paramedic to stop for a moment. He then stood up and looked at Leo very sadly. "Agent Craig, I'm so sorry".

Leo felt like someone stabbed his heart. He shook his head in denial. "No… no".

"Agent Stockard is dead", Roberto slowly said those harsh words to help Leo understand reality.

Leo simply kept staring at Roberto in shock. He just couldn't believe how fast the world around him had collapsed. He wanted to cry and yell very loudly. He wanted to hit someone. Instead, he swallowed the big lump of angst in his throat and tried to act calm. "Where is she?"

Considering the condition Liz's body was in, Roberto thought Leo was better off not seeing it. The body was heartbreaking to watch. "I don't think you should see her".

"Where is she?", Leo spitted out angrily in a split second. But he automatically decided not to wait for an answer. He began searching for Liz himself. He remembered Liz's car was all burnt and… His hazel eyes widened in horror when he realized why Roberto had tried to stop him from seeing the body. He felt like his lungs were being pierced. His eyes were then clouded with unshed tears. He sucked in some air, barely managing to breathe. He still couldn't believe what was going on.

He finally saw two paramedics taking a gurney with a body covered with a sheet into an ambulance. He rushed to get to them. "I need to see her". He practically threw his badge at the paramedics and, without waiting for an answer, climbed to the back of the ambulance. "I need a moment alone with her". He brusquely closed the back door of the ambulance. He turned around and stared at the covered body. At first, he didn't dare to look at what was underneath the sheet. Liz was the love of his life. He recalled when, at the age of seventeen, he had seen the body of his late sister, Tina, who had died in a car crash. Tina's face had big cuts from the glass of the car's windshield. Now Liz's beautiful face was burnt. He was too scared to see. He walked slowly and took a seat next to her as he tried to summon the courage to look at his beloved's body. He sniffed and then wiped the tears in his eyes with his sleeve.

His hands were shaking. But he finally managed to pull back the sheet that covered Elizabeth. He looked at her and felt like a heavy anvil fell on his head. Her once gorgeous white face was now red and black. Her eyebrows and her long eyelashes didn't exist anymore. Her big thick lips were burnt as well. Her neck, hands and arms were red and black too. She still had most of his short blonde curls, though.

Leo lovingly ran his shaky hand through what was left of her hair. Then he held her hand and he couldn't take it anymore. He broke down sobbing uncontrollably with his head buried in his hands. "I'm so sorry".

When he finally calmed down, he noticed a scalpel between the paramedics' instruments. He decided to cut a lock of Elizabeth hair to keep a little part of her always with him. He cut a little bit of her blonde curly hair and put it in the wallet he always carried in his pocket. He couldn't help looking at the two pictures he kept on his wallet. One was of himself with Elizabeth, who was smiling happily while he kept his arms around her waist from behind. The other picture was of Elizabeth with her son, Cooper.

He got all chocked up and put the wallet in his pocket again. Then, feeling devastated, he kissed Liz's hand. His eyes were blurred once again. "Don't worry. I'll punish whoever did this". Then he stood up and slowly kissed her once soft lips for the last time. "I'll always love you, my Goldilocks", he told her with his voice breaking. After that, he broke down in heartbreaking sobs again. He kept holding her hand and crying.

After a short while, a paramedic opened the back door of the ambulance and talked to him softly and tentatively. "I'm sorry, sir. We have to take her to the morgue".

First, Leo looked at the guy with a mixture of confusion and disbelief in his eyes, like the paramedic was talking in Japanese. Then he bit his trembling lower lip and nodded, understanding the situation. With his vision blurred, he covered Liz again with the sheet knowing he would never see her again.

He sniffed and wiped tears from his hazel eyes with his sleeve again. He then left the ambulance after giving the gurney with Elizabeth's covered body one last time.

He then went instantly in agent-mode. He had to find the man who killed Elizabeth and make him pay dearly. That bastard would experience as much pain as a human being could possibly experience.

Then Leo saw they were about to take Roberto Mizelli to the hospital. Very quickly, he walked towards him and asked very abruptly. "Who did this, Agent Mizelli?".

"I don't know", the Hispanic agent admitted. "I just saw a fat man with a black baseball cap and a sweater. He was driving a white Clio".

Then a paramedic stepped in and addressed Leo respectfully, "Agent Mizelli needs to go to the hospital now, sir".

Leo looked at Roberto's burnt arms and sighed resigned. "Okay"

At that moment, Agent Rick Reynolds arrived with his partner, Glenn Park. They both approached Leo with sad expressions. The Asian agent was the first one to speak. "Agent Craig, I'm sorry about Elizabeth"

"I'm so sorry, Leo. She was a good agent and a nice person", Rick said sincerely.

But Leo didn't care about the other men condolences. He just cared about finding and punishing the bastard who had taken Elizabeth away from him. After swallowing yet another lump in his throat, he began giving the other agents orders, "Rick, you have to go to the hospital with Roberto to take his statement and wait for the result of…". He trailed off. He couldn't say it. But he had to. "Of Liz's autopsy". He felt he was going to break down again. But he made himself strong. He had a job to do. He had to do it for Liz. He kept talking firmly. "Make sure they do that fast". Rick went to do as he had been told. Then Leo looked at Glenn and Jeffrey. "Now… Liz was investigating the murder of Jason Pillar when… when it happened. We first need to find out if there's a connection. Or maybe it was about another case. We need to revise all the cases she was working on and investigate every criminal she busted". He then looked at Agent Teller. "You and I are going to do that". Then he looked at Agent Park a bit awkwardly, "Glenn… I know this isn't your job… but I need someone to take Liz's son out of school".

"I'll take him to the offices", Glenn agreed rapidly.

"He's in Murch Elementary School. I'll call the headmaster", Leo told him, appreciating the help. He then marched towards one of the police officers that were examining the scene. He spoke brusquely and quickly, not being in the mood to be nice. "We need everything you've found so far".

The officer looked at Leo and Jeffrey. He knew they were FBI agents because of their jackets. But he didn't care about the fact that they were from the FBI. "Jurisdiction still needs to be determined, agents".

"We can't waste any time with formalities. We need that evidence now!", Leo yelled rudely at the officer.

"I'm sorry. But until the Chief says so…", the officer began explaining without caring about the agent's anger.

Suddenly, Leo grabbed the officer from the jacket with a scary expression. "I said we can't waste time!".

Jeffrey got concerned. He tried to stop Leo by grabbing his arm. "Calm down… Calm down, Leo".

Leo tried to calm down. He brusquely released the now scared officer and looked at Jeffrey. "Liz had tapes from the airport security cameras. We need them".

"Kilner and Powell are at the airport. They can request copies", Jeffrey stated, trying to reassure his boss. He then sighed worriedly, "I can handle this. You should go home with Elizabeth's son".

Leo was not planning to do anything of the sort. "Let's go to the office. We have to revisit Liz's cases".

Leo went to his car without waiting for an answer. Jeffrey resignedly followed his boss. "At least let me drive".

As an answer, Leo simply threw his keys at Jeffrey. "Fine".

**10.18.16 - 10.18.17 - 10.18.18 - 10.18.19 AM **

**10.23.16 - 10.23.17 - 10.23.18 - 10.23.19 AM **

Renee Walker and Secretary of State James Heller were walking rapidly down the hallway. They were heading to her office to discuss the situation in Asia, where Kamistan and Russia were fighting over oil in Lithuania. Renee had talked with Dalia Hassan, but the conversation hadn't been productive at all.

"Did you tell her the President would be calling?", James asked while he and Renee walked side by side.

"I didn't get a word in", Renee told him with clear frustration. Dalia had constantly interrupted her angrily.

Heller gave Renee a confused look. "But does she understand...?"

"I didn't get a word in", Renee repeated directly.

"We can try again tomorrow", Heller suggested confidently.

Then Carly Forlano, Heller's attractive assistant, approached them with certain urgency. "Mr. Secretary, President Loubet needs you to call him back".

James acknowledged that with a nod. "Right". He then turned to look at Renee apologetically. "I'm sorry, but I need to talk to Patrice".

"Of course", Renee nodded understandably. "You and I can talk later, sir".

Heller simply nodded and then left to call the president of France. Renee kept walking until she reached the ante chamber of her office, where her assistants, Zoe and Eric, were working and Jack was waiting for her with a folder in his hands. Eric stood up and quickly handed her a bunch of folders. "Mrs. O'Brian left the report you needed. So did Matt Anderson and Carlson Green". Renee took the folders and nodded. Then the black assistant handed her a piece of paper, "And this is a list of the people who call you during the Cabinet meeting".

"Thank you, Eric", Renee gave him a small smile and then she smiled at Jack. "Jack".

Jack smiled back at her and then they both entered her office. While Renee put the folders and the piece of paper over her desk, he explained the reason he was there, "I brought you the report on CTU LA."

She took the folder and put it with the others. But Renee actually suspected that wasn't really it. "You could have sent Mrs. Carmichael with it".

Jack then admitted the truth. "All right". He got closer to her and put his arms around her waist. "I wanted to tell you how much I missed you while I was in LA. I couldn't tell you before".

Renee smiled and softly kissed his lips. "I missed you too. Even though you were only gone for two days".

Jack kissed her thin lips again and this time the kiss lasted longer and their tongues caressed. Then he broke the kiss to tell her something. "I told Chloe about the engagement".

Renee got a bit nervous. Chloe was such an important person in Jack's life. What if the computer genius disapproved the engagement because it was too soon? "And what did she say?"

"She said she's happy for us. And that I've been smiled a lot since I'm with you", Jack replied practically whispering.

Renee was greatly relieved. "I'm glad". She kissed him again. "You know, I love your smile".

Jack smiled gladly. Then he lovingly held her hand. "You know? I've been thinking. We could have dinner with Leo and Liz tomorrow and tell them".

Renee actually couldn't wait to tell her dear friends about her engagement. "That's a great idea".

At that moment, Eric's voice was heard through the intercom.

"_Ms. Walker, I have Agent Craig on line one_"

Renee went behind her desk and pressed a button to talk to her assistant. "Thank you, Eric". Then she took the call and put Leo on the speaker. "Hi, Leo. You're on the speaker. Jack's here too".

Leo was still in his car, heading to the headquarters. Jeffrey was driving while he sat in the passenger's seat. He swallowed. He didn't want to say the words he had to say. But, unfortunately, he had to say it. He had to tell them. Very painfully, he had to tell them what happened, "Liz… she… She's dead".

Renee and Jack were both absolutely shocked and horrified by the news. "What?".

"What happened?", Jack asked, still in shock.

"Someone…", he began explained everything with a somewhat shaky voice. "Someone shot her and she lost control of the vehicle". He didn't mention that the car exploded. He couldn't bring himself to say that out loud.

"Leo, I'm so sorry", Renee said while a lonesome tear rolled down her cheek.

"Do you know who did it?", Jack asked sadly and feeling very angry by the situation.

"Not _yet_", Leo replied, putting special emphasis in the _yet_. "But it could be the same person who killed Jason Pillar, since Liz was investigating that murder. But it could be about another case. We are still investigating".

"Okay. Can I do anything for you?", Renee asked kindly.

Leo indeed had something in mind. "I need someone to watch Cooper. I know you're very busy today, but I don't have a choice. It'll take hours for Liz's parents to be here". He still had to talk with the Stockards, but they lived in Florida, so Leo knew it'd take them hours to get to DC to claim the body.

"You're not going home with him?", Renee asked a bit disappointed. She could guess exactly what Leo would actually do and it wasn't good.

"Of course not", Leo replied in an instant. "I have to find out who did this".

Neither Renee nor Jack was surprised. She tried to reason with her friend. "Leo, the other agents can handle it. You should go home and grieve".

"I'm not doing that", Leo declared categorically and pissed. "Will you help me with Cooper or not?"

Renee didn't see another choice. "Of course. Bring him to the white house. He can hang out in my office".

Leo softened slightly. "Thank you. He'll be good, I promise. You won't even notice he's there".

"I know", Renee said. She knew Cooper was a good kid, used to quietly hanging around adults.

"See you later", Leo said rather brusquely and disconnected the call.

Renee and Jack stared at each other in silence for the moment. They were both crushed by the sad news. Jack slowly approached her and lovingly wiped a tear from her lovely face, which still had purple bruises because of the accident she had suffered a month ago. "Are you okay?". Renee sadly stared at him with her crystal-blue eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "I know. Stupid question". He held her tight and rubbed her back.

As he held her, she closed her eyes and another tear rolled down her cheek. "I know she and I have only been friends for a few months. But she was very nice to me. She saved our lives".

"I know", Jack whispered and tightened the embrace. Last May, Leo had tried to kill Pavel Tokarev, who was prepared to take out Jack and Renee, but the Russian held him hostage. Fortunately, Elizabeth had appeared, stopped the Russian pig, and saved Leo. She had also sent a message to Jack warning him about the sniper. Thanks to that he had taken the bullet for Renee. As a result, only Jack got hurt, since Pavel managed to shot once. But, without Liz's interference, Pavel would have continued shooting at them and it would have been worse.

Renee then broke the embrace and straightened her back, stoically. "I have to inform the president".

"I have to meet with Nora… it's about Lithuania-Kamistan-Russia", he told her, and then he sighed very sadly. "I never have time to properly mourn my friends".

"We will have time. Tomorrow", Renee assured him, trying to be comforting. She didn't have time to mourn Elizabeth either. She had to work on the state of the union, Pillar's case, Elizabeth's case and Kamistan and Russia's latest fight.

Renee left her office and addressed her two assistants somberly. "Listen, my friend Liz Stockard was killed. Her son, Cooper will have to stay here for a few hours. Can you look after him?".

"Of course, ma'am", Eric replied promptly.

Zoe nodded quickly in agreement. Then she stood up and surprised the hell out of Renee by giving her a comforting friendly hug. "I'm sorry, Ms. Walker".

Renee was not exactly comfortable with a display of affection from someone she didn't know that well. She appreciated Zoe's kindness, but it made her slightly uncomfortable. She didn't want to show everyone that she was sad and vulnerable. She barely returned the hug and moved away. "I'm okay. Thank you", Renee said firmly to the younger woman. "I'm going to see the president now".

She headed rapidly to the oval office. She walked in and saw Allison practicing the speech with Angie Nelson. As always, the president's puppy, Fox, was playing cutely around the office.

"If it means our kids will pay more attention to mathematics, and English literature, and history, and science, and the arts, and less attention to designer labels, then our public schools should be able to require students to wear school uniforms", Allison read out loud with fervour. Angie smiled and nodded approvingly. Then the president noticed Renee in the office. "Renee…".

"Madam President... I'm afraid I have sad news", Renee began sorrowfully informing the president. She knew Allison would be sad because Liz, along with Leo, had unmasked the Russian conspiracy and Charles Logan. She was very grateful for the late agent's service. "Elizabeth Stockard has just been killed".

Allison couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Agent Stockard is dead?". She was genuinely appalled by such a bad news. "What happened?"

"We are not sure", Renee admitted bluntly. "It's still being investigated. But she was working on Jason Pillar's murder when it happened".

That confused the hell out of the president. "Jason Pillar is dead too?".

Renee then remembered there hadn't been time to inform the president about Pillar. "Yes. He was in Dulles airport, about to give the FBI the evidence Charles Logan used to blackmail Suvarov. But he was found dead".

"Where the heck has he been for the last nine months?", the president asked angrily.

"In Argentina, apparently", Renee replied. "He was hiding from people who wanted to kill him. It seems like very recently he decided to come back and ask for protection. But obviously this people found him before we did".

Allison looked at her chief of staff, still not being able to believe what was going on. "You think Suvarov had him killed because of that evidence?".

"Well, the evidence _was_ against him", Renee pointed out.

"But, _how_?", Allison wondered out loud. "All his calls and visits are monitored".,

"Maybe someone outside is interested in protecting Suvarov", Angie suggested timidly. She wasn't used to give an opinion about things that weren't communication-related.

Allison and Renee nodded in agreement. Then the president addressed her chief of staff. "And you think whoever killed him killed agent Stockard?",

"All we know for sure is that Pillar contacted her and an hour after that both of them were dead", Renee exposited the facts trying to be cautious, but clearly she believed Liz's dead was about Pillar. Still, they had to find out for sure. "FBI is investigating other possibilities as well".

Allison nodded understanding. "Tell Agent Craig that all our resources are at his disposal".

**10.33.41 - 10.33.42 - 10.33.43 - 10.33.44 AM**

_In the Oval office, Renee, Angie and Allison continued talking. _

_Meanwhile, Jeffrey was driving to the FBI headquarters. Leo was in the passenger seat talking on his cellphone. _

_At that same time, Jack was meeting Nora McNally in his office. _

_At that moment, Andrian was still revising the information he had with a concerned expression._

**10.34.55 - 10.34.56 - 10.34.57 - 10.34.58 AM**

**10.39.53 - 10.39.54 - 10.39.55 - 10.39.56 AM **

_In the White House, Jack is meeting with Nora in his office._

_At that moment, Secretary Heller and Renee walked into her office for their own meeting. _

_At the same time, Jeffrey kept driving to the FBI headquarters while Leo was sitting in the passenger seat and smoking. _

_Meanwhile, the fat Russian man arrives to a house in the stolen navy-blue Chevrolet Volt._

The Fat Russian man got out of the stolen car and observed the house before him. It was a big house located in Arlington, Virginia, on Wayne Street and Key Boulevard. He then headed to the main door, looked around and, since there was nobody around, he broke into the house. He went upstairs and searched for the room he would use. The house wasn't so big, there were three rooms upstairs. The first one was the master bedroom. Then, he saw the son's bedroom. After that, he finally found the room he needed.

It was a rather big music studio with sound-proof walls. There were a drummer and two electric guitars there. There were too two a small red love seats, obviously meant for the aspiring musicians to rest. Fat Russian thought those love seats would be useful. But the drummer took up too much space, so the fat Russian took it to the master bedroom. The guitars wouldn't be a problem, so he just left them in their place.

Then, Fat Russian went back to the studio and unloaded his big backpack, just to check if he indeed had everything he needed. He had a taser, a scalpel, a video camera to record everything, a bottle of chloroform, a couple of towels and a couple of syringes. More importantly, he also had some Hyoscine-pentothal, a pain-inducing drug that would make _her_ feel like every inch of her body was on fire.

He then went to the kitchen and searched for food. He was hungry even though he had eaten a sandwich two hours ago. There wasn't much food around but he finally found a cookie jar full of chocolate chip cookies.

**10.44.17 - 10.44.18 - 10.44.19 - 10.44.20 AM**

**Washington DC. – FBI headquarters.**

Leo arrived to his office with Jeffrey. He rapidly walked through the bullpen until he reached Janis Gold's desk. Janis quickly stood up and looked at Leo with pity in her brown eyes. "Leo… I'm sorry about Liz".

"Is Park here with Cooper?", Leo asked abruptly, ignoring the condolences.

"Their ETA is in two minutes", Janis informed with genuine concern. Her boss adored Elizabeth. Leo had to be pretty disturbed.

Leo felt another lump of angst in his throat. In two minutes, he would have to tell Cooper that he was now an orphan. The kid's world was about to be shattered. Leo wanted to cry so badly. His already deep determination was growing even deeper. He had to find whoever killed Liz. One by one, all the people responsible for her death would pay. He would punish them for Liz and for Cooper.

He had to start by finding the person who had killed Jason Pillar, since that man could be Liz's killer as well. Leo restrained himself from crying. He would never cry in public. He swallowed hard. He had a job to do. "When will Kilner and Powell be here with the tapes?".

"In eight minutes", Janis responded. Then she gave him another worried look. "Leo, we… we've got this. You should go home with Cooper".

"I'm not going home, Janis", Leo affirmed leaving no room for debate.

"But Liz has just died. You need to take some time…", Janis tried to reason with him. Leo ignored her and rapidly headed straight to Liz's office. Janis followed him and talked very fast. "I'm serious. You know what happened to Renee when Larry died. She kept working. And I don't remember that turning out well".

Leo was getting angrier by the second. "Stop it. I'm not leaving". His eyes then landed on a photo Liz kept over her desk. It was a picture of him with Cooper, which she had taken. Leo knew he hadn't lost only a woman he loved, he had lost a family. For the second time in his life, he had lost his family.

"You're not in condition to work", Janis insisted firmly. "You have just lost a woman you loved…"

"Shut the fuck up, Janis!", Leo suddenly yelled very loudly. Janis stepped back looking scared. "I can't bring Liz back. I can't. But I can do my fucking job and find the bastard who killed her. I can do that for her. So, _you_ do _your_ fucking job and stay out of my way!". Janis nodded, visibly nervous. Leo calmed down, took Elizabeth's laptop and handed it to the geeky analyst. "Get me access to that computer _now_".

Janis nodded again and left quickly to do as she had been told. Leo sat on Elizabeth's chair, feeling so defeated.

After a moment, Janis reemerged in the office. "Glenn is here with Cooper".

Leo stood up and nervously headed to wait for Cooper by the elevator. The door of the elevator opened and the nine year old child stepped out of it with the Asian agent. Leo got even sadder when he saw the poor kid who had just lost his mother. "Hey, Cooper".

"Hey", Cooper greeted back. He was very confused. They had taken him out of the school and nobody had explained why. Agent Park had dodged his questions. And now his mom's coworkers looked at him with pity in their eyes. And she was nowhere to be seen. "What happened? Where's my mom?".

"Come with me, buddy… we'll talk in my office", Leo told him kindly and put a hand in Cooper's back. They went to Leo's office. He gestured to a chair. "Please, sit down".

The kid obeyed. He was having a horrible feeling. It was all so scary. "What happened?".

For a moment, Leo didn't say anything. He didn't know how to say it. He didn't _want_ to say it. He opened his mouth to say something. Then he shut it. And he opened it again. "Coop… Buddy…". He started and stopped, not quite knowing how to continue. "I'm afraid I have horrible news". He paused, not wanting to actually give the news. The kid stared at him attentively and frightened. Leo finally summoned the courage to say it. "You mom died an hour ago. I'm so sorry… I'm so so sorry".

At first, Cooper hardly reacted. His topaz-brown eyes just widened in horror. Leo approached him to give him a hug. But then Cooper stood up, shook his head and stepped away from him. "No... No". Then he suddenly began screaming and hitting Leo's chest as fast as he could. "You're lying! You're lying! It's not true". He then kicked Leo in the shin and ran to Liz's office yelling. "Mom! Mom!". The kid busted into the office and looked around. His mom was not there. He stared at the empty office as tears began filling his eyes.

Leo was right behind him, looking at him. His heart was aching badly for Cooper. He rapidly hugged the kid, who broke down in uncontrollable sobs. Leo rubbed his back trying to be comforting. "I wish I were lying. I really do. But she's gone. I'm so sorry".

Cooper cried loudly for another moment. His entire little body was shaking. Then he also began gasping for air since, so much crying was taking the air out of his lungs.

Janis had been observing from outside the office. She quickly gave Cooper a glass of water.

Cooper tried hard to compose himself. He wiped the tears in his eyes and looked at Leo. "Why did she die?"

"Someone killed her", Leo answered, with a somewhat shaky voice.

"Why? Who?", the kid demanded answers.

"I don't know yet, Buddy. We are still investigating", Leo admitted. His chest hurt so badly that he could hardly breathe. Explaining everything to Cooper was so extremely hard. He ran his fingers through his short blonde curls, so similar to Liz's. "But I'll tell you everything as soon as I find out".

The kid sadly stared down at his own sneakers. Then he made eye contact with Leo again. "I want to see her"

Leo's vision was blurred once again. Liz's body was all burnt. He couldn't let the kid see her. Cooper wouldn't be able to see his mom one last time and say goodbye. "I'm sorry, Cooper. You can't".

The kid stepped back. He had not expected that response. He felt so betrayed. "Why? I want to see her!"

"You can't". Leo couldn't feel more like crap. But he obviously couldn't give in.

"I want to see my mom", Cooper whined. His heart was shattered in little pieces.

"Your mom wouldn't want you to see her like that", Leo tried to explain as gently as he could. "She would want you to remember her exactly like she looked the last time you saw her. Remember how beautiful she looked this morning? And she was wearing the earrings you gave her for her birthday. Those were her favorites"

But Cooper didn't care about that. All he wanted was to see his mom one last time. He looked at Leo with deep anger in his brown eyes. "I hate you".

Leo's resolve was not shaken. There was no way he would let the child see Elizabeth's body. "That's okay. You can hate me. But I still can't let you see your mother". Cooper broke down in sobs once again. Leo held him tight and rubbed his back. Tears came to his hazel eyes too. "I'm so sorry".

The kid calmed down and used his own sweater to wipe the tears. "Can we go home now?".

"We can't go home, buddy", Leo regretfully told him. "You are going to hang out with Renee until your Grandpa Tom and your Grandma Julia get here".

"Why?", the kid asked disappointed.

"Because I have to work", Leo replied.

The kid was pissed by that. "Can't you tell them that your girlfriend's just died?".

Leo felt his heart aching more and more with every passing second. His heart hadn't hurt as much since Tina's death. He swallowed, trying not to cry. He sat on the couch Liz had in his office and gestured for Cooper to sit next to him. "Look… I have to find the people who killed your mother. And I have to punish them. You want them to be punished, right?". The kid nodded sort of weakly. Leo hugged him. "They'll pay very dearly for this. I promise".

"Will you put them in jail forever?", Cooper asked. He innocently thought that was what Leo meant.

Leo didn't answer right away. He believed jail was not enough. He needed more. Besides, he had seen too many criminals get far too short sentences or, worse, an immunity deal. What if Liz's killer gave information and winded up not getting punished at all? The idea was unthinkable to him. He had to make real justice. But, naturally, he couldn't actually say that to a nine year old kid. So he said the only thing he could say, "Of course". Then he lovingly wiped Cooper's face with a tissue to clean the traces of tears. "But, buddy, to put them in jail forever I have to work. I can't take you home. You understand that, right?".

Cooper nodded resignedly. He now realized why they couldn't go home and he was fine with it. He actually wanted Leo to put the killer in prison. "Yeah".

Leo hugged him again and felt proud. The poor kid was so smart and strong. "Of course you do". He broke the embrace and looked at him in the eye. "You're not a kid. You're a little man. Your mom would be so proud".

At that moment, Janis was forced to interrupt. "I'm sorry, Leo. Kilner and Powell are here with the tapes".

"Okay. Gather everyone in the meeting room", Leo ordered the analyst. Then he addressed Cooper, "Why don't you wait for just a few seconds in my office? I'll talk to the agents and then I'll take you to the White House".

The kid nodded and left dutifully. Then Leo went to the room where they normally had meetings. Janis Gold, Louis Kilner, Gregory Powell, Glenn Park and Jeffrey Teller were already there. The other agents were either at the airport or in the scene of Liz's murder.

Without much introduction, Leo went straight to the point. "We are looking for a fat man, with a black cap and a black sweater. Was last seen driving a white Renault Clio. At this point we have to assume this man murdered both, Jason Pillar and… Liz". He quickly looked down and away. Then he looked up again stoically and continued his speech. "Pillar had evidence of Yuri Suvarov's involvement in Omar Hassan's death and the providing of nuclear material to IRK rebels. Our theory is that he was killed for having that evidence". He paused while the others took in the information. "Now, his wife Cathy Pillar and his daughter Emily may know something but they disappeared. We need to send their pictures to all the airports in South America".

"What about flight manifests?", Greg asked.

"We can try looking for their names in flights manifests", Leo agreed with a nod, knowing what the other agent was suggesting. "But chances are they are using false names. Probably the last name they use is Lemond". He assumed that because Pillar's alias was Mark Lemond. He then addressed the Asian agent. "Park, see if you can find them and investigate Pillar's activities in Argentina. His alias was Mark Lemond". After that he looked at Teller, "Teller, you deal with Virginia police. Make sure we have jurisdiction in both cases. Call Tim Woods if you have to. And push the people from lav. I want the results of the DNA test now". Luckily, they had found a brown hair on Pillar's body. Then he looked at Greg, "You and Kilner revise the cases Liz has been working on this month. Check her computer. Just in case this isn't about Pillar". Then he looked at the data analyst. He was talking really fast. "Janis, you and your people try to recover information from Liz's cellphone and look for anything useful in Pillar's. Also, search for known criminals in the tapes of the airport's security camera. And search for a fat man…"

"With a black cap and a black sweater", Janis immediately finished for him. Then she made a suggestion, "And I can use our satellites to search for the white Clio".

"Good", Leo approved with a nod. "Well, let's get moving, people".

Everyone went to do as they were ordered.

**10.54.47 - 10.54.48 - 10.54.49 - 10.54.50 AM**

**10.57.03 - 10.57.04 - 10.57.05 - 10.57.06 AM**

_Leo and Cooper were in Leo's car, heading to the White House. Cooper is looking sadly through the window. Leo is smoking while driving. _

_Meanwhile, Renee and Secretary Heller were in the middle of a meeting. _

_At the same time, Nora and Jack were in the situation room, looking at a map of Russian and Kamistan. _

_Meanwhile, Fat Russian was still eating the chocolate chips cookies and drinking coffee. _

Fat Russian had made himself some coffee. He normally liked to drink a lot of alcohol. But not when he had to work. He needed to keep his mind sharp. His mission was too important. He had also changed his black sweater for a tick green one. Besides, he had revised the bedrooms and found a useful grey hat with a grey scarf. He could use them to hide his face and hair. Since it was so cold outside, nobody would suspect.

He took his cellphone and looked at the photos of Renee Walker he had in there. They were photos of her getting in her Light grey Audi A5 Coupe. He hated the woman deeply. He really did. But, at the same time, he couldn't stop staring at her picture.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Four short rings. It was the signal. The fat Russian went to open the door, knowing it was Andrian Jacobi. He grumpily greeted him. "Andrian Ivanovich"

"Hey", Andrian greeted back casually. He took a look around and got settled on a couch. He cockily put his feet over the coffee table. The he went straight to the point, without wasting more time with pleasantries. "The moment you've been waiting for it's getting closer. She's leaving the white house at 12.15".

"Where is she going to be?", Fat Russian asked rather anxiously. He was too anxious to sit down.

"She'll be having lunch with a bunch of senators", Andrian responded and lighted a cigarette. "At 12.30. In Central Michael Richard Restaurant. It's in 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue".

Fat Russian looked doubtful. "How do you know she'll actually be there?".

"My contact told me a week ago", Andrian told him reassuringly and took a drag of his cigarette.

Fat Russian's steel-blue eyes narrowed distrustfully. He was not prone to trust people. "How do know she's not mistaken?". He was getting seriously annoyed. "You talk about this contact of yours like she's God".

"Look… I can always send another man if you…", Andrian began bluffing. They actually needed to use that obese man. Everyone would believe the fat man was acting alone. Nobody would know the organization even existed.

Fat Russian got predictably angry. "Don't you dare! She's mine".

Andrian was not intimidated by his anger. He indeed smiled a little with satisfaction. That fat man despised Walker and the group needed that. "Okay", he agreed. Then he took an envelope full of money and a little bottle with GHB. He handed it to the fat man. "I made an arrangement with a waiter called Julian Foster. You give him the money and he'll put the drug in Walker's drink. It'll make things very easy for you".

The fat Russian took the little bottle in his hands and saw that the level said GHB. He nodded approvingly. "I was going to use Chloroform. But your idea is so much better".

Andrian smiled cockily. It had actually been Brooke's idea. But he wasn't going to admit that. "Thank you".

**10.59.56 - 10.59.57 - 10.59.58 - 10.59.59 AM**

**11. 00 AM**


	4. I don't have time for this

**Author's note: **Hi! Thanks to those who read this story and special thanks to those who review. You guys make me very happy. Also thanks to Brendan for his input.

I'm sorry it's so depressing, guys. Sadly, the day doesn't get any happier. It's a really crappy day. But we are 24 fans. We're used to that. ;)

Anyway, enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** The show's not mine. Neither are the characters. Except: Leon Craig, Elizabeth Stockard, George Sullivan, Caldwell Coleman, Lynnette Lockhart, Nathaniel O'Malley, Nora McNally and other OC.

**CHAPTER 04: **

"**I Don't Have Time For This"**

**Previously:** Allison is preparing herself to give the State of the Union Address. Caldwell Coleman argues with her about reelection. She's not sure about running because if she doesn't run, she can pardon Olivia in two years, but, if she runs, Olivia will spend six more years in prison.

In Venezuela, an attractive female assassin kills Dana Walsh, who had evidence regarding Omar Hassan's case.

A fat Russian man kills Jason Pillar and Liz Stockard. He works for a gangster called Andrian Jacobi, who works for a mysterious woman called Brooke.

The FBI suspects Jason Pillar was murdered for having evidence against Yuri Suvarov and they suspect Liz was killed because she was investigating Pillar's murder.

_The following takes place between 11.00 AM and 12.00 PM, on the day of the State of the Union Address_.

**January 29th 2019 – Wednesday**

**11.02 AM**

**Arlington Cemetery. Arlington, Virginia. **

Allison Taylor got out of the presidential limousine. Patrick Birsall, her personal aide, quickly helped her to put on her black coat.

"Thank you, Patrick", she said as she put on the coat, took a deep breath and looked at the perfectly lined identical white gravestones. She was carrying three bouquets of roses; one of them was a little bit bigger than the others. She took a few steps towards a gravestone. Agent Nathan O'Malley and Agent Wallace Hoskins followed her, while other agents guarded the motorcade and checked the surroundings. Patrick remained by the limousine to give the president privacy.

She first reached her father's gravestone. She stared at it sadly in silence for a moment.

_Lt. Roderick Westin_

_4-23-1938 / 7-10-2014_

_Beloved father_

Her dad had served in the military and become a lieutenant before becoming an US. Senator for the state of Tennessee. He was severe but just, and very wise. He was extremely devoted to his country. Allison had always been daddy's little girl.

Allison put a bouquet of roses on the grave. Then she kissed her palm and sadly touched the gravestone as a couple of tears rolled down her cheek. After that, she moved slightly to her right and watched her mom's gravestone.

_Maureen Westin_

_5-25-1940 / 8-24-2012_

_Beloved wife and mother_

Maureen had been a beautiful woman who had become a brain surgeon in a time when women were expected to be nurses, teachers or housewives. Allison admired her so much.

With tears in her eyes, the President put one of the bouquets of roses in her grave. Then she kissed her palm and sadly touched the gravestone.

Subsequently, she did something extremely painful that nobody should ever have to do. She moved a little bit more to her right and saw it… her son's gravestone. She always saved it for last because it hurt too damn much to look at it. It's only natural to visit your parent's grave at some point. But a son's grave was something unthinkable and completely unnatural. And yet… there it was…

_Roger Taylor_

_04-17- 1990 / 01-29-2016_

_Beloved son and brother_

_Always in our hearts_

The president swallowed her angst and got down on her knees. The grass was still covered with snow from the day before, but she didn't care about getting her knees wet or feeling the sharp cold. She just reached out her hand and caressed the white gravestone. Her vision became blurred by the unshed tears that burnt her eyes. "Hello, Roger", she whispered painfully as she put a bouquet of flowers by the gravestone. Then she kept her hand over Roger's name as she talked to him with a somewhat shaky voice, "I lost you two years ago. It's been two years but the pain hasn't gone away. It'll never go away. When I think about all those things you'll never get to do…". She couldn't keep talking. She was too chocked up and the pain in her heart was too strong. But after a moment, she managed to speak again with a soft sad voice. "I'm so sorry. I know I always say that. I always tell you how sorry I am. And I'll keep saying it until I die. Even then, when I finally see you again, I'll keep saying it. You're here because I am who I am". She then looked down, feeling too ashamed of herself. "If I had lost the elections, or if I hadn't run, you'd be alive now". Her eyes got very teary once more and she had to swallow another lump of angst that had formed on her throat. "I miss you every day. I miss your smile and I miss talking to you". She had to stop talking. She hid her face in her hands and sobbed softly. After a moment, she managed to compose herself again. "I feel lost. Right now I'm at a crossroads. I have to choose between running for reelection and getting Livy out of jail. Normally, when I have a tough decision to make I ask myself… what would make Roger proud?. But now I don't know the answer. What would make you proud? If I run for reelection your sister will have to spend four more years in jail. But if I don't run I'd be abandoning my country. What should I do?". She sighed and stared desolately at the gravestone. Obviously her son wouldn't be able to answer her, but maybe he could send some sort of sign. She looked up at the cloud-cloaked sky. She saw nothing but a tiny light from a drone patrolling the area. But suddenly the answer came from her heart, not from the sky. "I think… I think I should choose Livy". She nodded with new found determination. "I already chose the country once. I sacrificed enough. It's time to put my daughter first". She then touched her son's gravestone again and her eyes became very teary one more time. "Oh, Roger. I love you. And I miss you so much. I always will".

One again, she covered her face with her hands and wept softly for a while. Once she was together again, she kissed her hand and then touched the gravestone one last time. After that the president stood up, lifted her chin stoically and turned around to go back to the motorcade.

As she walked towards the motorcade, with her agents following her, she gave Agent Nathan O'Malley a look. "Nathan".

Nathan rapidly went to walk by her side. "Yes, ma'am?".

"You have a daughter, don't you?", the president asked to confirm, as they kept walking towards the limousine.

"Two daughters, ma'am", Nathan respectfully corrected her. His lips then formed a smile as he thought about his daughters. "Zoe and Chelsea".

The president nodded acknowledging that. "Would you put what's best for the country before them?".

"Of course not, ma'am", Nathan replied bluntly without a split second of hesitation. He was being absolutely honest. He was nothing if not sincere. Allison stopped walking abruptly and locked eyes with him sadly. The agent felt really bad for her. "That's why it's a good thing that I'm not the president of the United States".

The president understood Nathan's point perfectly.

**11.08.42 – 11.08.43- 11.08.44- 11.08.45 AM**

**Renee's meeting with Secretary Heller had just ended. Now she was alone in her office, sitting behind her desk, reading a CIA report while drinking coffee. Then, she heard her assistant Eric Pratt ****talking through the intercom.**

**"****_Ma'am, George is here to see you_****"**

**Renee pressed a bottom on the intercom to answer him, "Okay, send him in".**

**Soon enough, her deputy George Ace Sullivan walked into the office with a concerned expression on his face.**** "Renee, I've just heard about your friend. I'm sorry". **

**The mention of Liz saddened her. But she wasn't comfortable showing her emotions to her deputy. So she acted polite but rather cold. "Thank you". She rushed to change the topic immediately. "What's going on? I'm sure you're not here just to offer your condolences". **

**"I'm not", George admitted. He was not surprised at all by Renee's coldness. ****Some people called her '****_Renee Freezer_****'. Her deputy could see why. Without wasting another second, he sat in front of her and, talking very fast, explained why he was there, "A reviver just got annex **to the homeless bill. An appropriations amendment".****

**"Appropriations for what?", Renee asked with concern. **

**Such an amendment could have a negative effect on the president's homeless initiative, which was, so far, likely to pass. They couldn't afford to have problems with the bill because they wanted to talk about it during the State of the Union Address and they needed President Taylor to come off as victorious. The last thing they needed was to lose a legislative battle on the day of the State of the Union.**

**"Prison construction, push up the war on drugs", George replied.  
><strong>

**Renee was not happy to hear that. "The president's initiative is about families, housing, jobs, it has nothing to do with prisons. Who's the sponsor?".  
><strong>

**"**Dean Hadley**, a two term Republican from ****Florida", George answered. "We knew we would have trouble with our own".**

**"He has a lot of influence for a two termer", Renee pointed out suspiciously.**

**"Speaker Chadwick must have helped him", George speculated. Bradford Chadwick had been against the initiative from the start. "He never misses an opportunity to hurt the president".  
><strong>

**"We can't let the initiative pass with that amendment", Renee said firmly. "We've already built more prisons than schools, and that had no influence in drug use****". **

**George agreed with a nod. "It's a 35 year old policy that's just total failure", **

**The Chief of Staff took a few seconds to ponder about the situation. "We need to see what we can do for Hadley to make him withdraw the amendment".**

**"I'll go and talk to him", the deputy offered quickly.  
><strong>

**Renee considered it for a brief moment. But, even though George usually handled the legislative issues, she figured that this time she should be the one making the deal. "No. I should step in on this one". **

**"Yeah. Okay". George had to admit to himself that Renee was right. She had more influence that he did, sadly for him. The deputy was trying hard to make peaces with the fact that he wasn't the Chief Of Staff like he wanted to. But sometimes it was still a little ****hard to swallow. **

**She**** then changed the topic. "Where are we on the Moss-Buchanan Act?"**

**"Still fifteen votes down", He informed. Renee nodded acknowledging that and then bit her lower lip worriedly. "You're meeting Wilcox, Elbridge, Draper and Goddard, right?"**

**"Yes. For lunch", ****Renee confirmed with a nod. Mac Goddard, **Myron Wilcox, Wesley Elbridge and Wendell Draper were republican senators who were against the Moss-Buchanan Advanced PATRIOT Act.

The act allowed torture under very extreme circumstances and those senators believed torture should not be allowed, ever. They were the few republicans who felt that way. Others opposed the act for the opposite reason, believed torture should be allowed whenever an agent felt like it. But Renee had seen what the whatever-it-takes policy had done to Jack and to herself. It had given them nothing but consuming pain and guilt. And she hadn't even gotten the needed results.

**"I don't see how you can change their minds. God knows I tried". There was some warning in George's tone. He had spoken to those senators and failed to convince them, which was why Renee was giving it a shot. He sighed with resignation. "Well, I guess you lose nothing by trying. What about Maynard Duval?".**

**Renee shook her head defeated. "There's no way to convince him". **

**"I'm not surprised". George knew that Duval was one tough advocate of the whatever-it-takes policy. **

**Next they heard Eric's voice through the intercom. ****_"Ms. Walker, Agent Craig and Cooper are here"_****. **

**Renee pressed the button of her intercom to talk to her assistant. "Okay. I'll see them in a minute. And, please, make sure I meet with Congressman Dean Hadley as soon as possible". **

**Eric naturally agreed in an instant. "****_All right_****". **

**Then Renee spoke to her deputy. "George, I need a favor. Cooper is Liz's son. Would you let him hang out in your office for a moment? I need to talk to Leo alone".**

**"Of course". George was always willing to help. **

**"Thank you". Renee stood up and went to the ante chamber of her office. Leo and Cooper were waiting there, with Renee´s two assistants, Eric and Zoe O'Malley Forrest. The sadness in Cooper's topaz-brown eyes made her heart ache. "Hey, Coop". She gave the kid a hug that intended to be comforting, but she knew nothing would comfort the child that was now an orphan. "I'm so sorry about your mom". She then made eye contact with him and spoke with a very serious tone. "She was a very brave woman and a wonderful person". **

**The kid sadly ****nodded and looked down at the blue carpet. "I know that". **

**Renee swallowed a ****big lump of angst in her throat. She felt terrible for the kid but tried not to show the sadness. She had to put a good face for Cooper. "Look, this is my friend George. What if you go to his office and watch TV?". **

**"Or maybe you can play with the president's puppy", George suggested. His steel-grey eyes were full of compassion. He wanted to make the poor kid feel better****, and kids tended to love puppies. **

**"I'll just watch TV". The kid just shrugged indifferently. He wasn't in the mood to do anything. But he knew he had to do ****_something_****.**

**"Okay. Let's go then". George gave him a tiny smile. **

**"Wait", Leo said rather abruptly. Then he kneeled down to be at the child's eye level. "Coop, I'm sorry I have to go. I really wish I could hang out with you. But I can't".**

**"I know". ****The kid was resigned. "When am I going to see you again?".**

**Leo felt his throat closing up. He knew he was bounded to end in jail, or maybe dead. He knew he would likely never see Cooper again. But he obviously had to lie to the nine year old kid. "As soon as I find the people who killed your mom. It'll be soon. I promise". He gave him one last hug. He held him for a while until he felt strong enough to let him go. "Bye, kiddo"****.**

**"Bye". Cooper was about to leave, but then turned around and hugged Leo once again,**** tightly.**

**Leo gave the kid a kiss on the forehead, feeling profoundly moved. "I love ya, Cooper". He was very close to crumble down crying. But he couldn't afford to cry. He made himself strong and playfully messed up the kid's blonde curls and then stepped back. "Now, go with George. Okay?". **

**"Okay". The kid nodded**** and, obediently, followed George.**

**"You can call me Ace, like my friends do", George casually told the kid, while they walked away. His closest friends called him Ace because it was his middle name and because he always had an ace under his sleeve. **

**Renee and Leo watched them go**** with sad expressions on their faces. Once they were gone, Leo handed her a little backpack he had been carrying. "Here's his insulin. He'll need it after lunch. He can eat one small treat if his blood sugar is low. But only one". Renee's second assistant, Zoe, was actually the one who rapidly took the kid's backpack. The young woman would be looking after the kid, since Renee was so busy. Leo paused and thought about other instructions for the young assistant. "And no matter what he says, if you notice he's sleepy you have to test his blood sugar". **

**Zoe gave Leo a reassuring smile. "I'll make sure he's fine, Agent Craig". **

**"Thank you"****. Leo was slightly relieved. Then he quickly turned around to leave. **

**Renee ****hurried to stop him. She couldn't believe Leo would just leave without even talking to her. "Wait, Leo, I need to talk to you".**

**Leo stopped ****dryly but didn't turn around. He knew what kind of conversation Renee wanted to have. He was definitely not interested in such talk. **

**"Please", Renee insisted after seeing that Leo didn't say anything. **

**Leo then turned around to face her and his sad hazel eyes met Renee's. He sighed and ****grumpily caved in. "Fine". **

**They headed to her office. Once they were alone in there, Leo could see sympathy in Renee's crystal-blue eyes. But he didn't appreciate it. He didn't want anybody's pity. "What do you want?". **

**Renee's eyes widened with surprise and disbelief at first. However, she understood that Leo was in too much pain to be polite. She spoke to him very patiently, ****"I want to tell you how sorry I am. I want you to know that I am here for you". She then softened and got slightly closer to him, "Please, talk to me". **

**Leo tried to brush her off and headed to the door****. "I don't have time for this". **

**"Please, Leo". Renee was practically begging****. "I know how you're feeling". **

**Leo abruptly spun around to look at her. "No, you don't", He gave up and spitted out part of what he had inside, "She was the love of my life. For the first time in over thirty years I had a family. With her I could believe I deserved happiness. Now it's all gone". He then had to pause. He was about to explode in tears. But he managed to remain composed. "She's gone". **

**Renee got closer to him and caressed the side of his arm. The pain in Leo's hazel eyes was immense. It was breaking her heart to even look at him. She could hardly stand to see him so crushed. She swallowed and spoke very softly, "You should go home with Cooper".**

**He brusquely stepped away from her. He was clearly angry. "I'm not going home".**

**"Please", Renee persisted and then recalled out loud her own experience. "When I lost Larry I kept on working when I should have gone home to**** grieve… And you know how that turned out". **

**"I'm not you", Leo stated seriously, but not quite sincerely. He wanted to do to Elizabeth's killer what Renee had done to Alan Wilson… and much worse things. ****But he didn't want to admit it. He simply sighed defeated and rubbed his temple. "Look, someone took Liz away from me. Now, I can go home, cry about it and drink until I pass out, throwing away eight months of being sober…, and, believe me, I'm dying to do just that… or I can do something useful. I can find the bastard that destroyed my life. And I choose to do that. I'm not going to just sit and do nothing". He stopped talking for a short moment. The pain inside him was becoming excruciating again. Nevertheless, he didn't have the time to feel the pain. The murderer could escape the country at any time. Leo could always cry and drink after killing that bastard who killed Liz. Right now he urgently needed to focus on his job. "Anyway, I don't have time for time for this. I'll keep you posted". **

**Leo**** didn't wait for an answer and left the office like it was on fire. Renee watched him feeling helpless. **

He walked through the hallway of the west wing to leave the White House. Before he could leave, he ran into Jack. "Hey… I'm so sorry about Liz", Jack told him gently and sincerely.

"Thank you", Leo mumbled without even stopping walking.

Jack took the other man's arm and made him stop. "Look, I know how you're felling. I know how painful it is. It feels like the pain is going to kill you".

Leo interrupted him rudely. "I'm sorry, Bauer, but I don't have time to talk about how much this sucks". After saying that, he walked away from the other man.

Jack didn't try to stop him. He knew exactly how Leo was feeling. He knew he had to respect his wishes.

_Leo went through some security checkpoints and left the White House. _

_Meanwhile, President Taylor was in the back of her limousine, heading to the White House, with Nathan by her side. She was sadly looking through the window. _

_At the same time, Cooper was in George's office watching TV with a gloomy expression, as George sat behind his desk and worked. _

_In the meantime, Renee took a seat behind her desk and bit her lower lip worriedly. _

**11.17.02 – 11.17.03 - 11.17.04 - 11.17. 5 AM**

**11.22.22 – 11.22.23 - 11.22.24 - 11.22.25 AM**

_The President was still in the limousine, heading to the White House. She was now reading a draft of the State of the Union. Nathan looked at her with concern._

_In the interim, Cooper was still watching TV in George's office. George gave him a worried look. _

_At that moment, Leo was driving his navy blue Toyota Corolla. He headed to the FBI headquarters, while smoking a cigarette. _

_At the same time, Renee was sitting behind her desk, reading at a security briefing. _

Renee was reading a report Nathan O'Malley had sent regarding the security measures taken for the State of the Union. Then Jack walked into her office. He and her assistants were the only ones who could just walk into her office without being announced.

She looked up from her papers and gave her fiancé a tiny smile. "Hey". She looked at her watch, remembering they had a meeting with Matt Anderson, CIA director, at 11.30. "Is it time for the meeting already?".

"No. I just wanted to know if you have a few minutes for a coffee". Jack wanted to check on her. He wanted to see if she was okay, since their friend had just died.

Renee gave him a half smile. "Sure". She pressed the button of her intercom to talk to her first assistant. "Eric? Would you please bring me a cappuccino and a black coffee?".

Eric replied right away. _"Of course, ma'am"_.

Next Renee took a seat on her pink velvet couch and gestured for Jack to do the same. He sat next to her and held her hand. "So, how are you, sweetheart?".

Her crystal-blue eyes met his aquamarine ones. Her expression was really serious. "I don't have time to be sad. It's Leo I'm worried about. He's in a very bad shape".

"I know. I saw him", Jack told her.

"He refuses to go home". Renee sighed mildly frustrated. "He insists on working".

"Are you surprised?". Jack felt Leo's reaction was natural. Because of his own experience, he knew exactly how Leo was feeling. "Right now all he wants is to find the people who killed Liz and kill them".

Renee knew Jack was right. It made her unease. "If he does that he's going to end up in jail".

Jack rubbed circles in the back of Renee's hand and tried to reassure her. He hated so much to see her upset. "Don't worry. Just because he _wants_ to kill them it doesn't mean he'll do it. He's a smart guy. I mean, I was about to kill Nina when I found out she was a traitor, and a year after that, again, I had the chance to kill her, but I thought about the consequences and restrained myself".

She wasn't reassured by Jack's words. "Yeah. But, Jack…". She lowered her voice to a whisper. "You killed Nina eventually. And I went crazy when I lost Larry". Renee looked at him with resignation and defeat in her eyes and shook her head. She was sure Leo was going to kill someone and would wind up in jail. "I don't think he's stable enough to think about the consequences of his actions. I'm afraid he's gonna do something crazy. Like I did".

Jack was lost in thoughts for a moment. The image of Renee madly stabbing Vladimir's dead body multiple times came to his head. He also pictured her torturing Alan Wilson. He didn't know exactly _how_ that happened, but he could imagine. Still, he didn't want Renee to worry. "He's not you".

Renee couldn't argue that. "That's what he said".

"You are gonna have to trust him", Jack told her kindly.

"Yeah". Renee sighed deeply with painful acceptance.

Jack pulled her closer to him and Renee rested her head on his shoulder while they held hands.

**11.25.10 – 11.25.11 - 11.25.12 - 11.25.13 AM**

**Central Michael Richard Restaurant- 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue**

Julian Foster was a waiter who worked at Central Michael Richard restaurant. He was about to get to his work when a very fat man got out a blue Chevrolet Volt and stood in front of him blocking his way.

"Are you Julian Foster?", the immense man asked with a tick Russian accent.

Julian got a bit nervous. "Yeah".

"Andrian sent me", the fat Russian said as an explanation.

Then Julian understood what was it about. "Oh, yeah… he said he'd send a fa… a friend".

The fat Russian man frowned. But he didn't have time to be offended. He had a job to do. He looked around to make sure nobody was watching and handed Julian an envelope with money. "This is half what you agreed. You'll get the other half after it's done". Julian nodded, took the envelope and put it in his pocket. Then the fat Russian man gave him a little bottle with GHB. "This is what you have to put in her drink".

Julian put that in his pocket too and then looked at the man awkwardly. "What will this do to her?".

"That's none of your business". The fat Russian man had a very serious expression on his face. He could easily tell Julian looked sad and scared. "Are you going to back down?".

Julian stared down at his own shoes looking truly embarrassed. "It's just… I don't want to hurt Ms. Walker. I'm only doing this because my little girl has leukemia and the treatment is too expensive. I'm just a waiter and my wife works at a Gap store".

"Look at me…", the fat Russian man commanded harshly. But Julian kept staring at the floor. "I said look at me", he repeated severely. The waiter's eyes finally met the fat man's steel-blue ones. "Do I look like someone who gives a damn about your sad little story? I just want you to get this done". Next he got closer to the young waiter in an intimidating manner. "I know where you live, Julian. So don't even think about backing down or I'll eat your family for dinner".

Julian widened his eyes like plates, stepped back and lifted his arms in defense, feeling truly scared. "It's okay. I'll do it. Please… don't hurt my family".

"Do what I say and your family will be okay", the fat Russian man promised him sincerely. Then he was abruptly assaulted by a doubt. "Are you sure _you_ are going to be her waiter? What if she doesn't sit in your section?".

"Don't worry", Julian reassured him rather sadly. He felt so trapped. "I found out what table she booked and I made my supervisor assign me that section".

The fat Russian man nodded approvingly. "Good". His big thick lips curbed up in a very tiny smile. He then considered the meeting over. "Go to work. Act normal. Don't mess this up… For your family's sake".

Julian nodded quickly looking extremely nervous and left very rapidly to his work place. The fat Russian man observed him and then got into the blue Chevrolet Volt he had stolen. He got inside the vehicle and began eating a pretzel he had been keeping there. It wasn't surprising that he weighed 480 pounds. He loved eating all the time. But, right then, he could only taste his sweet revenge. He had already taken down Leon Craig, a rat bastard, by killing his woman. Renee Walker was next.

He was suddenly distracted from his thoughts by his cellphone ringing. He looked at the ID screen, which said '_AJ_'. The thin guy either called him or met him every twenty minutes. The fat Russian was tired of his fit associate, an egomaniac who only cared about his body. He puffed upset and took the call, "What do you want, Andrian?". He didn't call him respectfully '_Andrian Ivanoschy_'. He was just too fed up of him.

Andrian was at his father's fancy restaurant, in Georgetown, the cover for their illegal activities. Like his dad, he liked to cook there. Right then, he was holding his cellphone with one hand and roasting chopped canned tomatoes for a tomato soup they'd serve at lunch time with his free hand.

Andrian frowned. He didn't appreciate the fat Russian's rude tone. But he didn't want to make a big deal about it. He had much more important things to worry about than the fat man's attitude. "I want to know if you have spoken with our friend at the restaurant".

"I've just talked to him", the obese Russian answered annoyed. "Everything is going like it should".

"There's one problem", Andrian told him. Meanwhile, the tomatoes were caramelized. So he took them away from the fire. "A relievable source tells me that the car you are in has been reported stolen".

The fat Russian man was unfazed. He had been expecting that. He simply turned on the vehicle and drove away to hide it and get another one. "Don't worry. I'll change vehicles".

"Call me when you do", Andrian ordered practically spitting out the words.

"I don't appreciate you breathing down my neck", the fat Russian complained angrily, while he drove. "I work _with_ you, not _for_ you".

Then Andrian got deadly serious and spoke with a threatening tone. "Listen to me, Fatty… You work _for_ me. And I need to know how everything is going. This is too important. You have to keep me posted. If you don't, we'll take you out of the job".

The fat Russian knew that, sadly, Andrian had more power. He could easily have him killed if there were problems. He had to give in. "Don't do that. I'll keep you posted".

"Good". Andrian then he hung up the phone without saying anything else.

At that moment, Ivan Jacobi entered the kitchen of the restaurant exuding power. Even the people who didn't know he was the leader of the Russian mafia could tell the sixty year old man was very powerful. Unlike his spoiled son, he had suffered a lot in life, which was why his glacier-blue eyes transmitted grief and coldness while his son's steel-blue eyes didn't posses the sadness typical in a native Russian. Ivan had the strength of someone who had served in the Soviet army for ten years before turning to a life of crime, spent nine years in a Russian labor camp and then made it to the top of the branch of the crime syndicate Red Square that operated in the DC. Metropolitan area.

"Father", Andrian greeted respectfully.

Ivan looked around and harshly addressed the members of the staff that were there getting everything ready for the lunch shift. "Leave me alone with my son". Everybody hastily finished whatever they were doing and exited the kitchen quickly. Once they were alone, the towering Russian went straight to the point, "Have you spoken with our fat friend?".

"Yes. He's ready", Andrian assured his father.

Ivan shook his head with concern and then mused out loud. "I don't like this man's passion. It's too personal for him. When feelings are involved things tend to end badly. You already know how Vladimir Laitanan dug his own grave precisely because his feelings for Walker were too strong".

"That man thought with his penis", Andrian acknowledged, shaking his head sadly, like saying '_what a pity_'.

"At least _he_ thought". Ivan frowned with concern. "I'm afraid the same can't be said of our fat friend".

Andrian rolled his eyes. "Father…"

"I'm sorry, son", Ivan interrupted him sharply. "But I don't like people who seek revenge". He paused for a brief moment and then recalled out loud a quote from book he had read. "Revenge is the weak pleasure of a narrow mind, Juvenal".

The younger gangster was not familiar with the quote since he didn't read as much as his dad. He just shrugged, not really knowing what they could do about the fat associate. "Well, like it or not, the group wants him to do this… so…".

"I'm beginning to feel we made a mistake getting involved with this people", Ivan said unhappily. Greed had made him get involved with very dangerous people. Now he was starting to regret it. "Joseph has a strong desire of revenge too. His feelings could be clouding his judgment".

Andrian was far more optimistic than his depressing father. He tried to reassure his old man. "But Brooke cares about nothing but money. Her judgment is not compromised".

Knowing that mysterious woman called Brooke had a cold blood and heart actually made Ivan feel a little bit better, but only a little.

The older gangster then began chopping some carrots while Andrian peeled some potatoes as they talked. "Right". Ivan then thought about another thing that concerned him. "Does Leon Craig know we are involved in the death of his woman?"

"He doesn't", Andrian assured him..

Ivan narrowed his glaciar-blue eyes distrustfully. "How do you know?",

"I talked to our friend in the FBI", Andrian answered cockily.

Ivan was not very reassured, and looked at his son disapprovingly. "You trust too much the people we work with, son". Andrian simply rolled his eyes at him again. Ivan got very upset. His son wasn't taking the operation seriously enough. "What if they sell us out? We need to keep our eyes wide open. We can't get caught. Do you know what would happen if Craig finds out we were involved in his woman's death? And do you know what would happen if Jack Bauer finds out we are involved in what will happen to Walker? Do I need to show you their files again?"

"I know those two are extremely dangerous, father". Andrian's expression turned serious. He wasn't being reckless. He knew the consequences of failing. "But they'll be dead by the end of the day".

"God help us if you're wrong", Ivan stated very dramatically. Then he considered the conversation over and simply continued chopping carrots.

_Andrian was standing in the kitchen looking thoughtfully at his father. _

_Meanwhile, Julian was in the bathroom of the restaurant splashing water to his face. Then he stared at himself in the mirror looking worried. _

_Right then, President Taylor was getting out of the limousine and entering the White House. _

_At that same moment, Jack and Renee were in her office talking to Matthew Anderson. _

**11.34.25 – 11.34.26 - 11.34.27 - 11.34. 28 AM**

**11.38.41 – 11.38.42 - 11.38.43 - 11.38. 44 AM**

**Georgetown University Hospital**

Leo parked his Navy blue Toyota Corolla by the Georgetown University Hospital, where Agent Roberto Mizelli was being treated for second degree burns on his arms and hands and minor burns on his chest. Mizelli was the only witness of Elizabeth's death, so Leo wanted to question him, even thought he had ordered Agent Dale Reynolds to take the statement. He had to do it himself.

He got out of the car, took one last drag of his cigarette and put it out. He then walked through the entrance of the emergency room and saw a nurse by the reception area. He hurriedly addressed her without wasting time for pleasantries. "I need to see agent Roberto Mizelli. He was brought to the ER for burns in his arms".

"Wait a minute, please", the nurse said, and went to find out where Roberto was.

Leo waited feeling incredible anxious.

After a minute, the nurse finally came back with the information he needed. "Room 215".

Leo left in a hurry, without even thanking the nurse first, and took the elevator to go to the second floor. At that moment, his cellphone rang. He saw it in the caller ID screen that it was Janis and took the call. "Yeah?".

"Leo, Virginia PD found the white Clio". Janis talked really fast fast, like Leo liked. She was sitting by her desk, working on her computer as she spoke. "They found an empty can of soda and crumbs from chocolate cookies".

"Take them to the lav. There could be DNA and fingerprints on them", Leo ordered.

"They already searched for fingerprints and found none", Janis told him. "But they are analyzing saliva found in the can".

Leo reached the door of room 215. But he stopped to talk to Janis before entering the room. "What about the feed from the airport's security camera?".

"I spotted an obese man with a black sweater and a black cap", Janis informed him. "Like the one Mizelli said that killed Liz".

Leo's features darkened significantly. "Send me the images".

"His face is not visible", Janis warned him. She didn't see the point in Leo seeing the images.

"I don't care". Leo needed to see the bastard, even if not his face.

"Okay. I'll send you the images", Janis agreed and then became worried about the grief-stricken agent and softened her voice, "Leo… how… how are you doing?".

Leo felt annoyed by the question. He puffed and spoke very sharply, "I don't have time to chat, Janis. I have to talk to Mizelli now".

Before Janis could say anything else, he disconnected the call and went inside the injured agent's room. He saw him in bed talking with Agent Reynolds who sat by his bedside holding an electronic pad. Without wasting a second, he interrupted them. "I'm going to take Roberto's statement".

"I already told Dale everything I know", Roberto said.

"And now you're going to tell me". Leo's tone an expression clearly said '_Don't argue with me_'. Then he brusquely addressed Dale, "Give me that…". He brusquely took an electronic pad from the other agent's hands. "While I talk to Roberto, go call the lav. Tell them to hurry with the DNA tests. Also, someone needs to supervise Liz's autopsy". He swallowed a knot that formed in his throat. "I can't...".

"It's okay. I'll do it". Dale reassured him quickly. Leo nodded at him and Dale left to do his job.

After Dale left, Leo took a seat by Roberto's bed and read the statement from the electronic notepad. Then he took his sad hazel eyes from the pad and looked directly at Roberto. "So, I told you to take the tapes to the headquarters and you and Liz left the airport at 09.56… What happened next?".

Roberto began telling what had happened. "Agent Stockard drove down the Dulles Airport access road highway and, for approximately three minutes, there were no incidents…".

The Hispanic agent was going to say something else, but Leo interrupted him rudely with a question. "And you didn't notice someone was following you?".

"No. We didn't notice anything was wrong until we were shot at", Roberto replied calmly.

Leo didn't take his accusing eyes off Roberto. "What did you talk about?".

Roberto looked back at him with confusion. "Sorry?"

"What did you talk about in those three minutes?", Leo was getting impatient. "Did she mention getting any threat? Did she talk about Pillar? Or about any other case?"

"No". Roberto's black eyes were full of compassion. He felt really sad about what had happened. "I mentioned my youngest son started talking. And she told me about Cooper's first word…"

"He said _'bid'_. He was trying to say bird because he was looking at one", Leo said before Roberto could say anything. The Mexican agent nodded his head. Leo's hazel eyes were suddenly blurred tears he tried not to shed. Liz adored talking about Cooper. She had lived for her son. Now she wouldn't get to see her kid grow up. 

"After that she told me about his piano lessons and how much she liked to hear him play", Roberto told him. He paused and then lowered his tone, "And then someone began shooting at us".

"A fat man with a black cap and a black sweater, from a white Clio", Leo stated somberly what Roberto had already told him. He was full of hatred. He instinctively tightened his jaw and curbed his hands into fists. Merely thinking about that guy made his blood boil.

"Yeah", Roberto confirmed.

Leo took his cellphone and opened the file with the picture Janis had just sent. It was an image from the airport's security camera of a fat man with a black baseball cap and a black sweater. The man was turning his back to the camera. They could only see that his dark brown hair was long for a man and he wore it in a pony tail. "Could this be him?".

Roberto took the cellphone and examined carefully the photo. He wasn't very sure. "Could be".

"And you are sure he was alone?", Leo asked to confirm what Roberto had previously stated.

"Absolutely sure", Roberto affirmed, handing the cellphone back to his owner.

Leo continued with the interrogation. "And what did you do when he started shooting?",

"Elizabeth immediately began shooting back and I moved to the back seat", Roberto explained.

"Why?", Leo asked rather sharply, with some judgment in his eyes and tone.

"To be in a better position to shoot at the hostile", Roberto explained naturally. "But none of us hit him".

"And you didn't see the murder weapon?", Leo asked severely, like he was questioning a suspect.

Roberto shook his head. "No".

Leo's extremely serious expression never changed. "For how long did the shooting last?"

"I had shot ten bullets at the hostile when, suddenly, Elizabeth was hit. The car then crashed against a tree and caught fire…". Roberto then became silent. It was awkward to talk about it with someone who loved Elizabeth so much.

"Keep talking", Leo urged the Mexican agent. He then shot another question, "Did she yell for help?"

The Mexican agent shook his head again. "No"

"Was she trying to get out?", Leo asked with a rather harsh tone.

"She was not moving at all", Roberto told him.

"Is that when she…?". Leo started asking a question, but he suddenly had to stop talking. He felt yet another knot in his throat. He swallowed it and then managed to ask the question with his voice almost breaking, "Is that when she caught fire?".

Roberto looked at the other agent with pity in his black eyes. "Leo, don't do this to yourself…"

"I need you to tell me _every_ single detail", Leo insisted with an extremely firm and somber tone. "You were the last person…". He paused, swallowed again and then he kept talking with a softer tone, appealing to Robert's compassion. "You witnessed her very last moments. I… I _need_ to know everything".

Roberto silently looked into Leo's hazel eyes for a moment. He saw so much pain that it broke his heart. He decided to do what the distraught man wanted. "She didn't catch fire then. But while I was trying to get her out, the car exploded. After that I could get her out. But her clothes were on fire". Roberto paused for a brief moment and noticed that Leo's eyes were wet. Then he continued telling the story as the other man wanted. "I put it out and then I noticed she had been shot once in the head, she was not breathing and she didn't have a pulse". He paused again and the lowered his voice. "She was gone"

Leo's back instantly straightened in alert and his features darkened. "Didn't you try CPR?"

"No", Roberto admitted sadly. "I realized it was impossible to bring her back".

Leo abruptly stood up, feeling absolutely furious. "You didn't even try?".

"There was no point", Roberto argued, full of conviction. He knew he had done the right thing. "She was dead. _Nobody_ would have been able to resuscitate her".

Leo was absolutely furious. "How did you know that?",

Roberto didn't even flinch. He understood why Leo was so angry. But he didn't want to answer that question. He didn't want to torture the man with disturbing details. He calmly and gently attempted to reason with the other agent, "Leo…"

But Leo yelled again, cutting Roberto off. "How did you know?".

The Hispanic agent gave up and resignedly answered the question. "There was grey matter coming from her exit wound. She died instantly when she was shot. The autopsy will confirm that". He then softened his tone and there was genuine sorrow in his black eyes. "I'm sorry"

Leo was visibly very overwhelmed by all the details. He felt like he was under a huge heavy rock. He was about to break down in sobs but managed not to cry. "No… don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. You… you couldn't have helped her. She…". Reality suddenly hit him like a very heavy anvil falling on his head. He sunk on the chair, feeling crushed. "She died instantly". Roberto simply nodded. Leo then thought of another detail he needed to know. "What was the last thing she said?"

"She asked me to call you", Roberto replied. "She said '_Call Leo'_"

Leo didn't have any more questions for Roberto. He could now picture Liz's final moments in his head as if he had been there.

At that moment, a Mexican woman entered quickly the room carrying a two year old toddler. It was Roberto's wife with their youngest son. The woman was immensely relieved to see her husband was alive, even if injured. She rushed to his side. "Oh, Roberto!".

The little kid didn't understand what was going on, but was happy to see his father. "Papi!"

"Hey", Roberto kissed his son on the cheek and his wife on the lips. His wife stared at the bandages with obvious concern. Roberto held her hand reassuring her. "I'm okay, honey. I'm fine". Then he looked at Leo and proceeded with the proper introductions. "Agent Craig, this is my wife, Camila, and my son, Lucas".

"Nice meeting you, Mrs. Mizelli", Leo said with a nod, just to be polite. "I'm sorry. I have to go now".

Camila smiled reassuringly. "I understand".

Leo then shifted his gaze from the woman to Roberto. "Get well soon". They couldn't shake hands because Roberto's hand was all bandaged. But Leo patted the other man's shoulder. The two men exchanged a meaningful look and a nod.

After that Leo headed to the door. Before leaving, he melancholically looked at the Mizellis for an instant. They were so happy because Roberto was alive. Leo felt a wave of sadness and envy hitting him. He wanted so badly to be with Liz and Cooper that it hurt. However, he made himself strong, swallowed his angst and left the hospital room quickly.

_Leo walked down a hallway and took the hospital's elevator_.

_Meanwhile, somewhere in Baltimore, the fat Russian man abandoned the blue Chevrolet Volt._

_At the same time, Jack and Renee continued in their meeting with Matt Anderson in her office. _

_At that moment, Ivan and Andrian were still cooking in the restaurant. _

**11.49.01 – 11.49.02 - 11.49.03 - 11.49. 04 AM**

**11.54.15 – 11.54.16 - 11.54.17 - 11.54. 18 AM**

_Somewhere in Baltimore, Fat Russian stole a car, a dark grey Audi A3._

_Right then, in DC., Leo was driving his vehicle while smoking. _

_In the interim, President Taylor was sitting behind her desk reading a report. _

_In the meantime, Jack and Renee were finishing their meeting with Matthew Anderson. _

Renee, Jack and Matt had nothing left to talk about so the three of them stood up from the pink velvet couches and Renee concluded the meeting. "Thank you, Matt. And, please, I need that report on Kamistan soon".

"It'll be here in less than an hour", the CIA director assured her solemnly.

The three of them headed to the door and Matt left the office. As he left, Zoe walked in rapidly with an announcement. "Ms. Walker, Chloe O´Brian is on line one. She needs to speak with you and Mr. Bauer".

Renee and Jack exchanged a surprised look, since they were not expecting the call. They were both wondering what Chloe could want. Then, Renee addressed her assitant, "All right. Thank you".

As Zoe left the office, Renee went behind her desk and put Chloe on speaker, "Hey, Chloe. Jack's here. You're on the speaker".

"Hey, Renee, Jack…". The director of CTU DC was in her office sitting behind her desk. As usual, she went to the point abruptly, "Someone killed Dana Walsh".

Jack and Renee were shocked. It wasn't sad news for them, but they were astonished. "What?", they said practically at the same time.

"She was in Venezuela with a fake ID, I guess she was hiding from the Russians, but three hours ago she was shot dead", Chloe explained talking fast. "Grayson Upwood just got a call from local authorities". Upwood was the director of CTU NY. The Venezuelans called him as soon as they found out their murder victim was actually someone who had been a double agent operating in CTU NY.

"Do we know anything about the killer?", Jack asked instantly.

"Witnesses say the killer was a sexy woman with long black hair", Chloe replied.

Soon, the obvious assumption came to Jack's head, "The Russians probably had Dana killed as retaliation for giving us that video".

"We don't know that, Jack", Renee pointed out quickly with a warning tone. She was thinking of another possibility. "She was criminal who lost all her money. She needed to do something to survive. Maybe she got involved with a drug cartel and pissed someone off".

"That's possible", Chloe agreed rather weakly. "But we have to know for sure".

Renee couldn't agree more. "Yeah. We have to send someone there to supervise the investigation and ran an investigation of our own I'll send two FBI agents".

"Yeah and you should call the Venezuelans and tell them to speed things up", Chloe suggested.

Renee nodded. "Yeah". Then she considered the talk over. "Thank you, Chloe. We'll talk later". She disconnected the call and looked at Jack. "What do you think?".

"I think the Russians did it. I mean, it can't be a coincidence that Pillar, Walsh and Liz were murdered on the same day", Jack said bluntly. "But you're right. We need to be sure".

"If we can prove that Suvarov is behind today's murders… we can prove he had Omar Hassan killed as well", Renee stated gravely. The political implications of the day's murders were hitting her. "I have to call Leo". She proceeded to make the phone call.

Leo was driving his car and smoking when he heard his cellphone ringing. He looked at the screen and saw Renee's picture, indicating she was the caller. He sighed. He really didn't want another lecture about taking time to grieve. But he put off his cigarette to have a free hand and took the call nevertheless. "what's up?".

"I've got news. Dana Walsh was killed in Venezuela", Renee told him without much preamble.

Leo was also surprised, but not at all sad. "She's dead?".

"Yeah", Renee confirmed. "Apparently a sexy woman with long black hair killed her".

"That sexy killer sure worked for the Russians", Leo speculated out loud in a heartbeat.

Renee remained cautious. "We are looking into it. It's either that or Dana messed with a drug cartel".

"My money is on the Russians", Leo stated full of conviction. Then he elaborated his point. "We have three murder victims. Dana gave evidence against the Russians, Pillar was about to give us evidence and Lizzy helped to expose the conspiracy".

"I think you're right. But we still need to confirm", Renee insisted. "I want to send two agents to supervise the investigation and ran an investigation of our own".

"You're right", Leo reluctantly agreed. "I'll let you know who I picked".

Renee then softened her tone. "Thank you". She paused. "How are you, Leo?".

Leo didn't want to answer that. "I've got to go". Without saying anything else, he disconnected the call.

A short while later, his cell rang again. This time, it was Janis Gold. He anxiously took the call. "Janis, tell me you know anything from the lav".

"I do", Janis told him in a split second. "The hair in Pillar's body…? I've got the DNA results". She made a pause and looked at the results before her. "You won't believe this".

Leo grew impatient. "Just tell me… who does the hair belong to?".

Janis finally answered the question. "Igor Laitanan".

In complete shock, Leo had to park the vehicle. He was too stunned to drive. "Can you repeat that?"

Janis complied. "Igor Laitanan".

Leo's hazel eyes widened and his mouth opened in profound shock. He simply could not believe it.

**11.59.56 – 11.59.57 - 11.59.58 - 11.59.59 AM**

**12.00 PM**

**(Please, be nice and let me know what you think).**


	5. While the investigation is ongoing

**Author's note: **Hi, guys. Here I bring you a new chapter.

Thank you to Neal, MarsStone and Brendan for reviewing this story. It's very hard to write this story and reviews are the only satisfaction a fanfic writer gets.

**Disclaimer:** The show's not mine. Neither are the characters. I do own the necklace Elisha Cubert used on season 7 and the earrings Cherry Jones used on season 8. And the complete set of DVDs.

**CHAPTER 05: **

"…**While the Investigation Is Ongoing"**

**Previously: **Renee was stalked by a fat Russian. Another fat Russian mobster called Jacob Bukin was arrested and believed to be the stalker. The real stalker hits Renee with a car, nearly killing her. But a rich young man with a drug problem is framed and murdered (Part 3)

Jason Pillar and Liz Stockard are murdered by the same Fat Russian who stalked Renee. He works for a gangster called Andrian Jacobi, who works for a mysterious woman called Brooke.

Renee, Leo and Jack found out that Dana Walsh was killed by a sexy assassin. They suspect is retaliation because she had handed evidence against the Russian government in exchange for immunity.

Thanks to DNA evidence, Leo learned that the fat Russian is actually Igor Laitanan, Vladimir's brother.

_The following takes place between 12.00 PM and 01.00 PM, on the day of the State of the Union Address_.

**January 29th 2019 – Wednesday**

**12.03 PM**

**Washington DC.**

At that moment, Leon Craig was the most stunned man in America. He had just found out that Igor Laitanan was alive and was the one who killed Liz and Jason Pillar. He couldn't stop wondering… How could that be possible?.

After disconnecting his call with Janis Gold, as he sat in his vehicle, he thought intensively about what had happened on 2010.

Nine years before, Leon Craig worked undercover with Igor in London. Back then, he was known as Aleksandr "_Cutthroat_" Petrovsky, until one day his cover was blown. Leo was then chased by Igor and two other men. The chase ended when Leo managed to throw a grenade into the gangsters' car. The car exploded inevitably. But, before that, a gangster shot Leo on the chest and he crashed his own vehicle. While he was unconscious, Igor and another man were killed by the explosion, while a third man managed to escape. Or so had Leo thought for nine years. It was obvious now that Igor had escaped instead of the third man. It was so estrange because they had run a DNA test on what they thought was Igor's corpse and it said it belonged to Igor. How could that be?

'_There's no fucking way_', Leo thought shaking his head in denial while staring at a file Janis had just sent him. It was the results of the DNA test done on a brown hair found in Jason Pillar's body and it said that the hair definitely belonged to Igor Laitanan. 95% accuracy. Leo shook his head again. "There's no fucking way", he muttered to himself. Suddenly, like a lighting, a new thought came to him… _'He killed Liz to get back at me. Just because he hates me'_. Tears came to his hazel eyes as guilt overwhelmed him.

He pressed his hands into fists and very harshly hit the sterling wheel twice. He tried taking deep breaths, but soon he broke down crying.

As quickly as he could, he composed himself. He had to stay calm and in control to find Igor and make him pay dearly for his sins. Leo took his wallet and looked at the picture he had there of Liz and Cooper, he also saw the blonde lock of Liz's hair he had kept. He then remembered why he had to stay sober, collected and focused on finding the guilty. He had to do it for the family he had lost.

The first thing he had to do, he thought, was warn Renee that Igor was alive. Since she had killed Igor's brother, she could be also a target. He took his cell phone and dialed the number of Renee's office.

Eric Pratt, Renee's assistant, was working by his desk and took the call after two rings. "Renee Walker's office. How may I help you?".

"I need to talk to Renee. It's Leo Craig", Leo said with a hint of urgency in his voice.

"Wait a minute, please", Eric requested politely. He then put the man on hold and pressed a button in the intercom to speak to Renee. "Ma'am, Leo Craig is on line one".

The chief of staff was in her office with her fiancé, talking about the death of Dana Walsh and the implications of it. She went behind her desk and pressed a button to talk to her assistant. "Thank you, Eric. I'll talk to him". Then Renee pressed the button to talk to her dear friend. "Leo".

Leo went straight to the point. "Renee, listen… I know who killed Liz".

Renee was genuinely surprised. Liz had died just two hours ago. She thought it was too soon to have the killer's ID. "Really?". She directed her gaze at Jack, who was giving her a curious look. "Wait, Leo… Jack's here. I'll put you on the speaker". She put Leo on the speaker. "Now, tell me… who killed her?".

"Igor Laitanan". Leo pronounced the name as if it were some horrible decease.

Renee was absolutely stunned. She could not believe her ears. "What?". Jack looked at her with a puzzled expression, so she explained him, "Vladimir's brother".

Leo's features darkened as he thought Igor. "He's alive".

Renee still could not believe it. "Are you… are you sure?"

Leo had absolutely no doubt in his mind. "Yeah. A hair was found in Pillar's body. We ran a DNA test and it's his".

Jack was then confused. "In _Pillar_'s body? But you said he killed _Liz_".

"I believe he killed Liz too. He has a motive, first of all. And Liz's partner said she was killed by a man with Laitanan's description", Leo explained talking fast. He was really tense, so he decided to smoke and took one cigarette from a box that said '_Lucky Strike'. _The irony did not escape him.

"We need to confirm this", Renee stated with clear resolve.

"We found a can of soda in the car Liz's killer was driving". Leo's features darkened as he pictured Igor shooting Liz from a white Clio. It had to be Igor. But Renee was right. They had to be 100% sure. "We're analyzing the saliva in it. Could you call the lav? I think it'd make them work faster". He then lighted the cigarette he was holding and took a deep drag.

"Of course. I'll do that", Renee promptly assured him.

"But why would Igor kill Jason Pillar?", Jack suddenly wondered out loud.

Leo had already thought an explanation for that. "My theory is that the Russian government sent him".

"The _former_ Russian government", Renee instantly corrected her friend with a hint of warning in her voice.

"Yeah". Leo accepted the correction, even thought he wasn't as sure of it as Renee seemed to be, and kept elaborating his theory, "They protected Igor, gave him money, kept him hidden from us and got him into the country. In return, he killed Pillar for them".

"Meaning that he helped them because he needed them to help him kill Liz", Jack concluded.

Leo's face darkened significantly once again. Those bastards in the Russian government had helped Igor Laitanan. Thanks to them, that pig had been able to kill Liz. He had to crush them too.

"Send me Big Laitanan's file", Renee requested, unaware of Leo's vindictive thoughts.

Jack raised his eyebrows, surprised, and slightly concerned, by Igor's nickname.

"I'll send it to your computer right now". Leo knew she couldn't use her cellphone inside the white house, so he had to send it to her computer. Then, he spoke gravely, "Renee, he might go after you".

"I know. I'll be careful", she promised solemnly.

"Good". Leo approved. "Listen, I better go to the headquarters now".

"Okay, bye". Renee finished the call. She sat in the chair behind her desk and looked thoughtful.

Jack sat across from her and looked at her fiancée with concern. "So, do you know Vladimir's brother?".

"No. I just know what Leo told me", Renee replied. "They're half brothers. Igor's is the son of their father's wife. Instead Vladimir was a son their father had with some prostitute. Vlad was seventeen years younger".

"He never talked about Igor?", Jack asked with mild disbelief.

"Just once". Renee indifferently shrugged a shoulder as she answered. "He thought Igor was dead and it was too painful for him". She paused briefly, then she nodded and then continued telling Jack the story of the Laitanan brothers, "I think they were really tight. Vlad began working for Igor pickpocketing at the age of ten. They got caught when they were 37 and 20. Vladimir managed to escape but Igor had to spend nine years in prison. He escaped and moved to England, where he ran his own arm-trafficking ring. That's when he gained 200 pounds".

Jack raised his eyebrows, surprised by how much weigh Igor had gained. Then he quickly kept fishing for information, "And what's his history with Leo?".

"Leo worked undercover with him nine years ago", she answered. "Then his cover was blown and he killed three men and, supposedly, Igor himself. The rest of the men were arrested".

"So Igor killed Elizabeth to get back at Leo", Jack concluded in a split second and sighed.

"Yeah". Renee sighed sadly too. She knew the guilt had to be eating Leo alive. "I'm sure Leo blames himself".

Jack could plainly see how worried Renee was. He reached out his hand and held hers in support. He just wanted to comfort her. "He'll be fine".

Renee shook her head, feeling helpless. She wanted to badly to help her friend. But she knew she couldn't. "I don't think he will. When his sister died, he blamed himself, left his family and became lonely and self destructive until he and Liz got together. She was all he had".

Jack didn't know what to say. He couldn't honestly refute what Renee was saying. He simply kept holding her hand and rubbing circles on the back of it to show understanding and support.

Then, Renee's laptop made a sound indicating that she had a new e-mail. The e-mail was predictably from Leo. She opened it and then opened the attached document, Igor's file. Leo had also sent Igor's picture. Renee opened it as well and her eyes widened in shock. The image of the fat guy who had stalked her last December came to her mind. She simply couldn't believe it.

Jack noticed her astonishment. "What?",

Renee just shook her head in disbelief and stared at the photo. She had only seen Igor's picture once, seven years ago, because he wasn't important for her mission. So, when she saw a man stalking her, she had only a vague recollection of Igor. Besides, Vladimir's brother was supposed to be dead. So, she didn't think her stalker could actually be him. Now that she looked at Igor's photo again, he suddenly saw the man who had stalker her for months.

"It's him. It's _really_ him". She tried to overcome her astonishment but was unsuccessful. Then her crystal-blue eyes met Jack's. There was a mixture of concern, surprise and fear in hers. "Jack, Igor Laitanan is the man who stalked me a couple of months ago".

Jack's aquamarine-green eyes widened in shock too. "Are you sure?".

Renee had no doubt. "I'm sure". She looked at the picture of the disgusting fat man again. The photo had been taken nine years before without his knowledge. He had an arm tightly around a teenage girl while he talked to another man who held another teenager and held a drink with his free hand. "Back then I thought for a second that the guy looked like Igor… but I thought I was crazy. Now I realize it was really him".

Jack went quickly behind Renee's desk and looked at the photo of the Russian gangster. The man was disgustingly fat and the girls in the picture didn't even have breast yet. Jack found him so repulsive and despicable. His face darkened considerably. "He'll go after you too then".

"Yeah". Renee looked down and pressed her lips together with concern.

"You have to be careful", Jack told her gravely.

"I will be", Renee assured him, looking into his eyes.

"I mean _very_ careful", he insisted, piercing her eyes with his. Renee nodded solemnly. But Jack wasn't completely satisfied. "You promise you'll be _extremely_ careful?".

Renee squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I promise".

Jack caressed her soft cheek and looked into her eyes. Renee was like a treasure to him. If he lost her... he didn't want to even imagine such scenario. "Renee… you shouldn't leave the White House today".

Renee could not believe what she was hearing. "What?".

"You're safe here, but there's someone very dangerous out there who wants to kill you", Jack argued.

She kept staring at him in disbelief. "I have a lunch meeting with a group of senators".

"You can cancel it", Jack suggested very seriously.

"And what do I say, Jack?", Renee asked rhetorically. She was getting angrier because he was trying to tell her what to do again. "Maybe I can go with the old excuse '_I'm sorry, Senator. I can't make it to lunch because someone wants to kill me. By the way, it's the brother of a man I murdered'_".

Jack then frowned angrily and shouted, "Don't try to be funny. I'm serious". He knew he shouldn't shout at her, but her life was at stake. He couldn't be rational.

"So am I", Renee abruptly shouted back. "Do you think I'm meeting with those senators for lunch because it's so much fun? Or because I just love the lobster they serve at that restaurant?". She sighed frustrated, tried to calm down, and lowered her tone. "I'm going because the President needs their support to pass the Moss-Buchanan Act. And it has to be done today so at 9 PM President Taylor can truthfully tell the nation that we are making progress".

Jack and Renee just stared at each other silently for a moment. Renee's crystal-blue eyes were full of resolve. Jack simply felt helpless.

Then Eric's voice was heard through the intercom. _"Ms. Walker, Angie is here to see you_".

Before talking to Eric, Renee addressed her fiancé categorically. "We are done discussing this". She then pressed the button of the intercom to talk to her assistant. "Thank you, Eric. Send her in".

Jack sighed feeling defeated. He hated it when Renee didn't do exactly as he said. It was frustrating.

A few seconds later, Angela Nelson, White House press secretary, walked into the office with her normal serious expression. "Jack, Renee…". She greeted both of them with a nod. Then, she addressed the white House chief of staff. "The press is asking about the murder of FBI deputy director".

Renee was slightly alarmed. "What did you tell them?",

"That I had no comment for the moment… but I have to say _something_", Angie told her.

Renee knew that Angela was right. "Yeah". She made a pause to think about what the press secretary should tell to the reporters. "Confirm that Elizabeth Anne Stockard died at 10 AM. She was shot dead. We can't say anything else while the investigation is ongoing. Our…".

"Our prayers are with her family", Angie rapidly completed the sentence for her.

Renee nodded approvingly. "Yes. Her son Cooper and her parents, Tom and Julia Stockard".

Angie diligently took note of the names in her notepad. "Okay". Next she shifted her gaze from the notepad to Renee. "What about Jason Pillar? They know about him too".

The chief of staff couldn't believe it. "How? The guy was not even using his real name".

Angie shrugged, not knowing how to answer. "I don't know. But they're interested because he had evidence regarding the murder of Omar Hassan and the dirty bomb".

Renee sighed resignedly. "Confirm that Jason Pillar was murdered. But we can't say anything else…".

"… while the investigation is still ongoing", Angie quickly finished Renee's sentence once again.

Renee gave her a tiny smile. "You know what to say".

"Is there anything else I should know?", Angie asked, with chestnut-brown eyes on her notes again.

Renee paused briefly to think about it. Then she replied, "Not for now".

"Okay. Thank you". Angie bowed her head and left the office quickly to continue doing her job.

Once they were alone, Renee gave Jack a rather cold look and became pure business. "I have to tell Leo that Igor Laitanan was the stalker". Jack nodded in agreement. She picked up the receiver and dialed Leo's cellphone number.

Leo was heading to the FBI headquarters when he heard his cellphone ringing. He looked at the little caller ID screen and Renee's picture appeared in it, indicating that the call was from her. "Yeah?".

Renee didn't waste any of time and went straight to the point. "I saw the picture of Igor Laitanan and I realized something… he's the guy who stalked me in December".

The information took Leo by surprise. "It was _him_?".

"Yes", Renee confirmed somberly. "It wasn't Jacob Bukin".

"He said another fat man stalked you", Leo recalled as he realized that Big Laitanan stalking Renee made perfect sense. "I thought he was making it up".

"We all did", Renee gently reminded her friend. She could sense Leo felt guilty.

Jack then got in the conversation. "That doesn't matter now. What matters is finding that bastard".

"Do you have any lead?", Renee worriedly asked Leo.

Leo stopped for a red light and answered the question talking really fast. "Well, Bukin said that the other fat man was being protected. I think I should interrogate him to confirm the fat man is Big Laitanan and find out who's been protecting that son of a bitch and how to find the fat bastard",

Renee thought that was a good idea. "Yeah".

"Those who are protecting him will know where to find him", Jack added nodding, also approvingly.

"Okay. I'll keep you guys posted", Leo promised and disconnected the call.

Renee then looked at Jack with a very serious and cold expression. "We have to see the president. She wanted real-time updates. We should tell her about this… and about Dana Walsh too".

"Yeah", Jack agreed, also talking rather coldly. There was still tension between them because he wanted her to take care of herself and she wouldn't listen to him.

**12.17.29 – 12.17.30 – 12.17.31 – 12.17.32 PM**

In the ante chamber of Renee's office Zoe O'Malley Forrest was sitting behind her desk, doing her job. When Jack and Renee emerged from her office, the assistant stood up quickly. "Ms. Walker, **Senator**** Goddard called. She needs to postpone lunch from 12.30 to 01.00. Her flight got a little delayed". **

**Renee sighed. She understood, but it was truly inconvenient because now she needed to modify her entire schedule. "What am I doing after lunch?".**

**Zoe checked her laptop before answering. "Meeting with Blake Rennard and Payton Whitford at 03.00". **

**Renee pressed her lips and nodded, thinking what to do. She couldn't miss her meeting with the White house pollster and the White House media director. ****"And after that?".**

**"****Dean Hadley", Zoe replied in an instant. **

**Renee sighed getting frustrated. She had to see Hadley rather urgently too. "Okay. Just tell me… is there anything on my schedule that can wait till tomorrow?".**** **

**Zoe checked the computer again. She read the list of things Renee had to do. Being a bright young woman who had come to know Renee well in the past month, she knew what to answer, "You have coffee with Sean Callahan, Ted Carson and Connie Fairbanks after Congressman Hadley".**

**"****All right", Renee acknowledged with a nod. Sean, Ted and Connie were reporters who wanted to know in advance what the president would say in the State of the Union. But that meeting was not so important. "Push the meetings with Payton, Blake and Hadley half an hour. I'll see Connie, Ted and Sean tomorrow. Tell them that**** if they want information about the content of the state of the union, they are gonna have to suck it up and wait until the president gives it, like the rest of the country".**

**"****I'm gonna put it more delicately", Zoe stated. **

** **

**Renee chuckled and then gave her young assistant a small smile. "You probably should. Tell them I'll see them tomorrow for breakfast****".**

**"****All right", Zoe nodded. **

** **

**Renee and Jack walked side by side down the hallway while they talked. "Jack… the president doesn't need to know that Igor Laitanan stalked me and will probably try to kill me". **

**"****No, she doesn't", Jack agreed without hesitating. **

**"****I don't want her to worry about me", Renee stated as they kept walking. ****But she clearly felt guilty over hiding something from Allison. **

**"****I know", he assured her**** softly. **

**Then they reached the ante chamber of the oval office, where they saw Nancy Johnson, the president's first assistant, and Patrick Birdsall, Allison's personal aide. "Is she alone?", Renee rapidly asked them without preamble. **

**"****Yes, ma'am", Patrick replied promptly. **"Can I offer you anything to drink?".

Renee decided to accept the offer and nodded slightly. "I'd like a coffee, please"

"Me too", Jack said.

Patrick nodded and left to get the coffees while Renee and Jack entered in the Oval Office.

President Taylor was sitting behind her desk and studying a report while her faithful puppy, Fox, chased a tennis ball all around the office. The dog waged his tail happily when he saw Renee and went quickly to sniff her. Renee smiled at the cute puppy, kneeled down and caressed his back. Allison looked up from his papers and stood up as soon as she saw her two favorite advisors. "Jack… Renee…". She greeted them both and then her eyes shifted from Jack to her chief of staff with concern. "I heard your conversation with Dalia Hassan was not very productive".

Renee stood up right away and then little Fox went back to playing with his ball.

"She was, uh, upset", Renee understated rather timidly. She thought it was natural. Dalia Hassan, after all, had just lost an oil deal with Lithuania because of Russian President Nickolai Karkov. The Russian president had pushed his Lithuanian counterpart to make him blow off a deal made with Kamistan.

"What the _heck_ was Karkov thinking?", Allison exclaimed, feeling annoyed.

"He wants the oil and is willing to go to war for it", Jack stated what the women already knew.

Allison's pale blue eyes shifted then from Jack to Renee. "What did Dalia say?".

The three of them took seats on the couches around the coffee table as Renee answered the president's question smoothly. "She said that Darius Lubys is not even the legitimate president of Lithuania and that we should make him hold elections immediately",

Darius Lubys had become President of Lithuania after his predecessor was assassinated, which had happened a year before. He was supposed to call for elections so his people could democratically choose a new president. But, so far, he was making no effort to respect democracy.

"She knows new authorities might go along with the deal", Jack added.

"Naturally, she says she's worried only about democracy", Renee told the president.

"I'm sure she is". There was a tiny hint of sarcasm in Allison's voice. She then paused for a moment to think about the topic. She soon decided what to do. "I'm going to try talking with Dalia and Nikolai myself". Then she addressed Jack with her typical serious tone and expression. "We need to keep monitoring closely the activities of both their troops in the region. They move a tank, I want to know".

Jack rapidly accepted the order. "Of course, Madam President".

After that Renee moved on to the next topic she had to discuss with Allison. "Ma'am, there is news regarding this morning's murders… FBI thinks Agent Stockard was killed by a Russian gangster called Igor Laitanan. And they believe he killed Jason Pillar as well". The president kept her electric blue eyes on Renee and was listening attentively. "A hair belonging to this individual was found in Pillar's body and his description matched the one of Agent Stockard's killer given by the one witness of the murder".

"I see". The president took in the information and her features turned somber. "Do we know his motives?"

"Well, he has a history with Agent Craig, who broke Laitanan's criminal organization. So, Laitanan probably killed Agent Stockard to get even", Renee guessed feeling confident in the theory.

"Because she was the woman Agent Craig loves", the president concluded sadly. But she was confused about one thing. "But why did he kill Pillar too?".

"That's what we don't know yet", Renee admitted.

"But I have a theory", Jack instantly told the president. "I believe someone ordered him to kill Pillar because he was about to give us evidence against Suvarov. And we can't ignore the fact that Agent Stockard was going to testify against Suvarov and Novakovich".

Allison saw Jack's point clearly. "You believe both murders are related to the Russian conspiracy".

"Not just those two", Jack clarified. "There's been a third murder".

The president was shocked. "A third murder?".

"Dana Walsh was murdered in Venezuela, where she had been hiding", Jack informed the president with his normal serious tone. "Since she gave us important evidence against Suvarov and Novakovich it is likely that she was killed as retaliation".

"But we are still investigating the issue", Renee added instantly and then gave Jack a warning look. Then she looked at Allison again. "If everything is, in fact, about the conspiracy, the question is who gave the order. Because Suvarov and Novakovich are isolated. All their phone calls and visits are monitored".

"Conjugal visits are not monitored", Jack rapidly pointed out.

Renee gave him a surprised look. "You think his wife is part of the conspiracy?".

Jack shrugged in an 'I don't know' manner.

Allison didn't believe it. "But Anya Suvarov hasn't visited her husband. In fact, she divorced him after what happened last May".

"Maybe Novakovich gave the order through his wife", Renee speculated tentatively.

Jack didn't think Renee was right. "I don't think so. I studied him after what he did and he is the kind of criminal that only follows orders. I doubt he takes initiative". He paused, then he confidently voiced an opinion that he knew would be unpopular. "Maybe it was Karkov".

None of the women wanted to believe that Nikolai karkov was guilty. President Taylor was visibly angry by what Jack had just said. "And what makes you think that?".

"He and Suvarov were really close. Actually, the Suvarovs are godparents of one of the twins", Jack told them, as if what he was saying were a very obvious indication of Karkov working with Suvarov.

"Come on, Jack…", Renee protested in disbelief. She also felt a bit alarmed. Jack seemed too anxious and that couldn't be good. "How can _you_ say that? You know very well that just because your best friend is a murderer it doesn't mean you are".

"Right". Jack sighed and looked down and away for a second. He hated to be reminded of his friendship with both Nina and Tony. It made him feel like an idiot. He tried hard to forget he had ever been close to those people.

"You can't make allegations like that without proofs, Jack", the president scolded him but with a gentle tone. "He and Dalia Hassan are barely speaking to each other as it is. They're actually at the verge of starting a war over oil. Allegations of this sort…".

"I understand, Madam President", Jack assured her firmly before Allison could say another word. He then looked at the president straight into her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'll wait until we have enough evidence".

"We will get it. The investigation has just started", the president then pointed out gently and sensibly.

_Patrick Birdsall walked into the oval office with coffees for Allison, Jack and Renee. _

_Meanwhile, Zoe was sitting behind her desk, working._

_Right then, Eric was looking at Zoe and had a small smile on his face._

_At that moment, Leo was driving_ _his Navy blue Toyota Corolla and heading to the headquarters. _

**12.26.02 – 12.26.03 – 12.26.04 – 12.26.05 PM**

_Leo arrived to his office. _

_At that same time, President Taylor is sitting behind her desk and talking on the phone. _

_In the meantime, Eric brought coffee for himself and Zoe. The two assistants exchanged sweet smiles._

_Right then, Jack and Renee were leaving the Oval Office._

**12.31.10 – 12.31.11 – 12.31.12 – 12.31.13 PM**

**Washington DC. – The White House**

Renee and Jack left the oval office and walked down the hallway side by side. She spoke rather coldly at her fiancé. "Jack, I need to know the exact location of Kamistani and Russian troops".

"I'll talk to Matt and Carl", Jack told her, with an equally cold tone. Then he left to the situation room.

Renee decided then to check on Elizabeth's son, Cooper, who was in George Sullivan's office. She felt really bad for the nine year old kid, who had just become an orphan. She also felt guilty because she had to work and didn't have time to look after the kid.

Renee reached the ante-chamber of George's office. She spotted Emma Crewson, George's 32 year old assistant, a blonde woman with short hair and beautiful amber-brown eyes.

"Ms. Walker", Emma greeted politely and bowed her head slightly.

"Hi". Renee gave the assistant a cordial smile. "Are George and Cooper there?". She gestured towards the office with her head.

"George is in a meeting with Dave Lyman", Emma explained. "But Cooper is there".

"I'll go see him", Renee told the assistant.

"Go ahead". Emma invited.

Then Renee walked into the office. Cooper August Jamison was sitting behind George's desk talking on the phone. Cooper was hungry and wanted a pizza, so he was ordering one. "Yeah. I want a large pizza with cheese, ham and tomatoes". The kid listened to what the other person said and replied, "You can bring it to the White House". He paused again to listen to the person he was talking to and raised his eyebrows with surprise. "Which white house? _The_ White House". The other person thought it was a prank and hung up on him. The kid looked at Renee with dismay. "He hung up on me".

Renee chuckled softly and gave the kid a tender smile. "If you want a pizza, Coop, I'll tell my assistant to bring you one".

"Thank you", the kid said politely.

Renee got settled in one of the chairs and noticed the TV George kept in his office was on. "So, what are you watching?".

"The Simpsons", Cooper replied indifferently.

"Oh, that's a funny show". Renee tried to sound cheerful for the kid's sake. Cooper's topaz-brown eyes were full of a sadness that wouldn't leave. It was breaking Renee's heart.

Cooper shrugged. "I guess".

"You know? I was your age when it started", she told him.

"My mom loved it". The kid saddened and looked down. Soon he looked back at Renee with doubt written on his face. "What's going to happen to me now? Will I have to go to a foster home?".

"No. Of course not", Renee answered firmly in a heartbeat. "You're going to live with your grandma Julia and your Grandpa Tom, or maybe with your dad's parents".

The kid was visibly disappointed. "Not with Leo?",

Renee didn't think Cooper's grandparents would let Leo adopt the kid. "No, buddy. That's not possible". She looked at the kid with surprise in her eyes. "You want to live with Leo?". She didn't know Cooper and Leo were that close.

"If I stay with him I won't have to change schools", Cooper explained.

Renee ran her fingers through the kid's short blonde curls in an affectionate gesture. "I'm sure you'll love your new school and you'll make a lot of new friends".

The kid was no longer interested in that topic. Instead, he had another question in mind. "Do you know who killed my mom?".

Renee felt it was best to be honest with the kid. "We are sure it was a very bad Russian man".

The kid's topaz-brown eyes filled up with tears. "Why did he do it?",

She wanted to be honest, but she couldn't reveal too much information. She couldn't tell the nine-year-old kid that the man wanted to get back at Leo. So, she attempted an explanation more appropriate for the child. "Because he's a monster, Coop. He's a horrible man. And your mom was a wonderful woman who put bad guys in prison. So he killed her".

Cooper felt so angry and helpless. He only wished a terrible punishment for that horrible man. "Is he going to jail forever?".

Renee had the feeling that Leo would actually kill Igor mercilessly, but she couldn't tell Cooper that. She was forced to lie to the kid. "As soon as we find him, champ"

"Will that be soon?", the kid asked with expectation in his eyes.

"I don't know, sweetie", Renee admitted sadly.

**12.33.50 – 12.33.51 – 12.33.52 – 12.33.53 PM**

"**Russian Vodka Room" - 101 Constitution Avenue, Washington DC. **

Ivan Jacobi was working in his restaurant's kitchen. He was rapidly chopping some tomatoes to prepare different tomato-based dishes. The Russian gangster was actually enjoying himself. The restaurant was mainly a cover for his illegal activities, but he liked it very much.

While Ivan cooked, his only son, Andrian, walked into the kitchen with a concerned expression on his face. He approached his dad and spoke discretely. "Father, I need to talk to you in private". There were many employees in the kitchen, so he couldn't talk.

At first Ivan didn't say anything. He just looked at his son, trying to read his expression. It was clearly serious. "Of course, son".

They both headed to a little room at the back that Ivan used as study. Once they were there, Andrian locked the door behind them and, once it was safe, gave his father the news, "Walker changed her schedule slightly. Brooke told me. But don't worry. I already told our fat friend and it won't affect our plan".

Ivan was a bit puzzled. His son looked too worried considering their plan was going smoothly. He gave the young gangster a suspicious look. "Then what's the problem?",

"There's no problem with Walker", Andrian clarified quickly and rather defensively. "The problem is Leon Craig…". He made a brief pause. "…he knows about Igor".

Ivan's glacier-blue eyes widened in surprise and his back straightened in alarm. "Are you sure?".

The younger gangster nodded. "Our friend in the FBI told me".

"And does Craig know Igor works for us?", Ivan asked, now with a face like a stone.

"No, he doesn't", Andrian assured him firmly.

Ivan was not very reassured. "If he finds out…".

Andrian instantly cut his father off. "He won't".

Ivan shot a very cold and angry look at his son. He did not appreciate being interrupted. He adopted a very severe tone. "Let's pray that he doesn't find out". He felt his son was too used to getting his way. He didn't know what to do to fix Andrian. He shook his head and turned around to take a drink from the bar he kept in his office. "Did our FBI friend tell you anything else?",

As he talked, the younger gangster headed to the bar too. "Yes. Apparently, Craig's next move is to interrogate Bukin".

The older gangster was alarmed. "Buking knows Laitanan works for us". He then made a brief pause to think of a solution for their dilemma. Very soon he thought of an obvious one. "We must send someone to take care of him".

Andrian agreed immediately with a nod. "Who are we going to send?".

Then Ivan thought of all his men and tried to figure out who was the best one for the job. One name came to his mind. "Liev Mastrosov".

**12.33.50 – 12.33.51 – 12.33.52 – 12.33.53 PM**

**Arlington, Virginia –Liev Matrosov's apartment**

Liev Matrosov was a forty eight year old Russian gangster. He was a large man but not fat. He was bald, had granite-grey eyes and a black soul patch. He had many tattoos all over her body that told other Russian gangsters the story of who he was. He had Madonna and baby Jesus tattooed on his upper back, meaning he was a thief since childhood. He had two stars on his upper chest, which meant he was a Vor. V. Zakone. Also, he had one start on each knee, meaning that he kneeled down to no one. Besides,in his left arm, he had an executioner, which meant he was murderer, and on his right arm he had a swastika. Next to the starts on his chest, he had a broken cross, symbol the Red Square OC normally used and meant '_I'll never talk'_. Under the swastika, he had two swords stabbing through a bloody heart, one side to side, one top to bottom. Under the stars on his chest he had a church that represented the prison in which he had been and that church had two domes representing the two life sentences he had gotten: He had escaped after seven years, which was why he also had seven tombstones under the church, representing the seven years he had spent in prison.

He had started stealing with his father at the age of eight. He had never had a legitimate job in his entire life. He had become a Vor V Zakone at a young age and lived according to the code, which said a Vor. V Zakone had to live only on gambling or illegal activities.

Right then he was in his apartment with Akim Yudasi and Vadim Dronov, his henchmen, and their goons. The goons were young men in their late twenties or early thirties called Kirill Losev, Vadim Dronov, Demin Lisetkin and Iosef and Seymon Gudovich.

There was only one woman in his apartment. Her name was Zara Meitus. She was Liev's lover even thought she was only fourteen years old. The extremely thin teenager had long black curls and long eyelashes. She wasn't fully developed yet, so her breasts were still very small. She had been brought from Ukraine and forced to work as a prostitute. Her pastel-blue eyes revealed just how miserable she was. In Ukraine she had a family that was extremely poor so her own father sold her to the mob when she was twelve. If she didn't please the men, she got badly beaten. According to the code of a Vor V Zakone, women were like animals and they didn't deserve more respect than a dog. So Liev was never nice to her. Sometimes he even made her sleep with the other men, or included another girl in their sexual activities. She desperately wanted to leave. But she had no money, no education and she hardly knew how to speak English, so she didn't know a way to escape and make a living. Liev always told her how useless and worthless she was. She was thankful that, at least, he gave her food and a place to live.

At that moment, Zara was dutifully making lunch for the men. She was Liev's lover _and_ maid.

The men were sitting around a table, drinking and eating bread with cheese while they talked about business. Iosef was explaining an idea he had, "I know a guy who brought some good shit from Colombia. We could easily buy it from him and sell it".

Liev stood up and abruptly hit Iosef in the face. Seymon startled and was worried about his brother. Akim didn't even flinch. Liev just yelled at a scared Iosef. "Idiot!". Then he looked at Seymon and ordered harshly, "Tell your brother what's one of the most important rules of a Vor V Sakone".

Seymon was more familiar with the code than his younger brother, so he recited the rule with a military tone, "A Vor V Zakone must not get engaged in arm trafficking or drug trafficking, because those are forms of commerce and we must live only on theft and gambling".

Liev nodded approvingly and then looked at Iosef again angrily. He hit the younger gangster in the back of his head. "See? Your brother is smart. You wanna be a Vor V Zakone? Then stop being stupid and listen to Seymon".

Seymon had a smug expression on his face and he drank some of his vodka. He felt proud of himself. Then Liev left Iosef alone and went back to his seat. This time he talked to Akim with a dreary voice, "So, do we have a safe location for tonight's game?".

Akim drank some of his vodka before replying. "Yes. It's a safe apartment in Maryland".

"How many guests?", Liev practically barked the question and then ate some bread and cheese.

"We'll be ten all together and put twenty grand each", Akim answered the question, not intimidated by his superior's tone, and casually ate bread with cheese.

Even though they had bread and cheese, Liev was getting very hungry, so he yelled very loudly at his lover/maid, "Zara! I want the soup and the spaghetti now!".

Zara walked into the room and responded timidly, without making eye contact with him. She was visibly scared. "They'll be ready in five minutes".

Liev stood up and smacked Zara across the face. "Do your fucking job more quickly next time!". After that he took a seat again while Zara went hurriedly to the kitchen. "Women", Liev groaned displeased.

At that moment, Liev's cellphone rang. He looked at the little screen and saw the letters 'I J'. He knew that meant the caller was Ivan Jacobi, the big boss. He took the call and greeted the big boss respectfully. "Hello, Ivan Semyonovich".

Ivan was still in his studio, sitting behind his desk and went straight to the point, without wasting time with pleasantries. "Liev, I've got a job for you".

"Tell me about it", Liev requested with genuine interest. Ivan always paid well.

"I need you to go to the Federal bureau of prisons, in Burke, Virginia", Ivan explained with his normal dreary tone. "There's a prisoner there called Jacob Bukin. I need you to take him out before he talks to a federal agent called Leon Craig".

Without hesitation, Liev began preparing a backpack with some stuff he would need, while he kept talking to Ivan. "When is he going to talk to the agent?",

"The agent is already on his way", Ivan informed. Then he paused to think and calculate how long it would take to Craig to get to the federal prison. "He'll get there in about fifteen minutes".

Liev was not very happy to hear that. He had very little time. But it could be done. "Send me his file".

Ivan expression darkened and his voice became even more serious, "I must warn you… he's a very dangerous man, and failing is not an option".

"I never fail", Liev stated with a solemn tone.

"Call me again when it's done", Ivan ordered. He then hung up the phone without saying anything else.

Liev then looked at the others and stood up. "I've got to go". He then shouted at his lover/maid, "Zara! Make me a sandwich. I'll have to eat in the car".

Then he quickly headed to his closet. There he had a uniform like the ones used by security guards in the federal bureau of prisons. He had one of those because he often had to go to that prison to take out people who knew too much.

He changed his regular clothes for the uniform, loaded his gun, a Magnum Research Lone Eagle, and then took his favorite knife, a Microtech HALO automatic. Obnoxious

_Once ready, Liev left his apartment. _

_At that same time, Leo was driving his vehicle with Jeffrey Teller in the passenger's seat. They were heading to the federal prison. Leo was smoking a cigarette while driving. _

_Meanwhile, Jack was in the situation room working with Matthew Anderson, Carlson Green and Nora McNally. _

_In the meantime, Ivan was in his study, reading Leo's file with a concerned expression. _

**12.40.02 – 12.40.03 – 12.40.04 – 12.40.05 PM**

**12.44.24 – 12.44.25 – 12.44.26 – 12.44.27 PM**

_Leo and Jeffrey Teller were still in Leo's car, heading to the federal prison. Jeffrey gave Leo a concerned look. Leo simply looked ahead at the traffic with a somber expression. _

_Meanwhile, Liev was driving his car, a navy blue lotus, while eating a sandwich. He was heading to the federal prison too. _

_At the same time, Andrian was carelessly cooking in the kitchen of their restaurant. _

_At that moment, Nora left the situation room and took the elevator to go to the west wing._

Nora stepped out the elevator and walked down the hallway to go to her office. Soon, George Ace Sullivan began walking by her side. She got a bit uncomfortable because she didn't want people to realize they were lovers. She greeted him rather coldly. "George".

"Nora", the short geeky man greeted back, trying to keep a cold tone too. He respected Nora's wish to keep their relationship a secret. "I need to speak with you about your budget proposal".

"Of course", Nora agreed, keeping a professional exterior.

They walked into her office and Nora closed the door behind them. Instantly, George began kissing her with burning desire and pressed her body against the door. He then moved her hand to the back of her head to undo her low coil. The blonde woman had her long hair neatly tied up in one perfect coil, as always. Not even one single hair was out of place. But George loved to see it loose, something that only happened during sex. He wanted to see Nora losing control a little.

Nora then noticed her hair was loose and got annoyed. She stopped kissing him abruptly and, effortlessly, pushed the skinny man away. "George! Don't do that".

George truly hated making Nora upset. Like a chastened puppy, he looked down at his own shoes mildly embarrassed. "Okay. I'm sorry".

The sexy woman took a brush from her purse and quickly did her hair again. Then she checked out the results in the little mirror she kept in the purse along with her cosmetics. As always, she looked perfect. Once again, she didn't have one blonde hair out of place.

Then, her deep-set emerald-green eyes were on George again. She seemed less angry but still very serious. "When I'm in the White House I have to look professional, George".

"I'm sorry", George apologized again and his steel-grey eyes met hers. Sweetness could be seen in them. His eyes were normally a vibrant shade of blue like bluish-grey steel… and they were fierce, since he was a hardcore politician. But Nora made him melt significantly.

Nora's beautiful features softened slightly. "It's okay". She then realized she had to focus on what she needed from him. So she approached him a little and used all her charm. "George? Could you get me a copy of the state of the union? I want to see the section on nuclear proliferation and foreign policy".

George hesitated awkwardly. "I don't know. We don't want to release anything until it's ready".

"Come on. It's just me", Nora persisted.

"Why do you want it anyway?", George then asked, genuinely confused.

Nora shrugged with some indifference and turned, then, into the perfect example of innocence. "The more information I have the better I can do my job".

The nerdy guy wasn't comfortable saying 'no' to Nora. He hated to disappoint her. But he couldn't gave her a copy of the speech. "Can you wait till the president gives the address?",

"I could", Nora conceded carelessly. "But we are dealing with this thing in Lithuania right now… I would prefer knowing what the president plans to do with that right now".

Next, predictably, George totally gave in. "Okay… I'll bring it to you".

Nora rewarded him with a perfect and very seductive smile. "Thank you".

**12.47.44 – 12.47.45 – 12.47.46 – 12.47.47 PM**

**Burke, Virginia – Federal Bureau of Prisons – Correctional complex**

Leo and Jeffrey arrived to the correctional complex in Burke, Virginia. They were received by the facility's director, Rex Skyler. The two FBI agents were responsible for bringing a bunch of the men to prison, so Rex already knew them. "Agent Teller". He shook Jeffrey's hand and then Leo's, as he greeted him showing good manners. "Agent Craig… I'm so sorry about Agent Stockard".

Not even on his best days Leon Craig was very polite and friendly with people he hardly knew. And now it was the worst day of his life since the death of his sister. So, saying that he wasn't in the mood to be courteous would be the understatement of the century.

Dismissing completely the other man's words, he simply looked down and away sadly for an instant and then he simply, and brusquely, moved on to the topic at hand, "Where's Bukin?".

"He's already in the interrogation room", Rex told him. And then he led them to the interrogation room.

They soon reached the observation room, from which people could see the interrogation room. Leo saw Jacob Bukin sitting there alone, looking annoyed and bored. If that fat gangster had cooperated, maybe Elizabeth would be alive. But the man had never said who he and Igor worked for. That man hadn't even told them who Igor was. Leo stared at Jacob for a moment with clear contempt in his piercing hazel eyes.

Leo's eyes thrn turned to Rex and Jeffrey. "I'm going alone". He didn't even wait for an answer. He simply took brusquely a file from Jeffrey's hands and walked into the interrogation room.

Jacob was sulking in a chair. He had his hands handcuffed behind his back and his ankles were handcuffed too. It was very uncomfortable. Then, Leon Craig walked into the room. Leo's face and eyes reflected nothing but sadness, anger and hatred. The Russian man looked at the agent and smirked arrogantly. "Agent Craig… You look like shit".

Leo just ignored the comment. He was only interested in getting the much-needed information. Very slowly, he blocked the door with an empty chair to avoid being interrupted. He then stared at Jacob angrily and walked slowly in circles around him while talking. "Two months ago you said that you didn't stalk Renee Walker… that another fat man did".

"Yes. And you didn't believe me", Jacob reminded the other man, feeling somewhat pissed. He wanted to have his lunch already. Instead, he had to talk about _that_ stupid issue that was ancient history to him. Why couldn't Leo just let that stalking thing go?

"Now I believe you", Leo stated being deadly serious. He brusquely put a file on the table, opened it, and showed Jacob a photo of Igor. "Is that the fat man you were talking about?".

Jacob gave the photo a quick look. Truth be told, he couldn't care less about the issue. "Yeah… that's the man obsessed with Walker". He leaned against the back of his chair and folded his large handcuffed arms, resting them on his immense belly. "But I know nothing else. So, now, can I go have my lunch?".

Jacob's attitude made Leo furious. The agent abruptly pushed the table against the wall with all his forces. "You are not going anywhere! You'll help me find that bastard".

Jacob startled. Meanwhile, in the observation room, Jeffrey was alarmed and headed to stop Leo. But Rex quickly got in the brown-eyed FBI agent's way. "Let him scare that pig a little".

Inside the interrogation room, a surprised and pissed Jacob yelled back at Leo. "I don't know where he is. I know nothing about him".

"But you know who does", Leo affirmed without doubt, staring directly into the prisoner's big heavy-lidded black eyes. "Come on, Jacob… How did you meet this man? Who introduced him to you?"

"I can't tell you anything", Jacob stated.

Without any warning, Leo banged Jacob's huge head against the table. "That's the wrong answer!".

In the observation room, Jeffrey Teller was growing more desperate by the second. He looked horrified at Rex, "Won't you do something?".

Rex remained perfectly calm. "I'll give him five more minutes".

Inside the interrogation room, Jacob looked at the mirror that covered one of the walls. He knew that behind them there were people watching. He wanted one of those people to do something.

Leo noticed Jacob looking at the mirror. "Nobody's gonna help you, Jacob. They all think you're disgusting for what you did to those girls". He then took one of the chairs and used it to block the door. Then his hazel eyes were back on Jacob. "Nobody is coming in".

Jacob's smug expression and posture didn't change. "I still ain't talking".

Leo then forced the obese gangster to stand up and pushed him against the wall, which was a very difficult thing to do because Jacob weighed about 400 pounds. But Leo took strengths from all the fury he had inside. "Listen, pig, that man is Igor Laitanan, he killed the woman I love". He felt his throat closing after saying that. But he just blinked quickly and recovered in a split second. "I have to find him". Leo then got even closer to Jacob to intimidate him and pressed his right forearm against his neck. "And if you don't help me, I swear I'll kill you with my bare hands".

The prisoner was not scared. He just hated that agent so much. He wanted to beat the crap out of him. But Jacob's hands and ankles were literally tied. What could he do? After a brief pause, he made up his mind. Jacob harshly hit Leo's head with his own big head.

Leo instinctively put a hand on his forehead, which hurt. Soon, with fire in his hazel eyes, he grabbed Jacob by the arms and banged his head against the wall.

It was then that Rex decided to interfere. Things had gone too far. But he never lost his cool. He simply looked at the two other prison guards that were in the observation room and severely gave them an order. "Burst that door open... now". The guards rushed to do as they had been told. While they worked on getting the door open, Rex yelled at Leo through it. "Agent Craig, stop that now!".

Jeffrey tried yelling at Leo too. "Come on, Leo... This isn't helping".

"If the prisoner gets seriously injured you _will_ lose your badge", Rex added, trying to reason with Leo.

At that moment, the other guards managed to get the door open. The guards, Rex and Jeffrey busted into the room. It took the four of them to separate Leo and Jacob, who was then trying to choke Leo with the chain of the handcuffs. It was Rex who finally pushed the prisoner against the wall. "Assaulting an agent means five days in the isolation room, Bukin".

"He hit me while I'm handcuffed", Jacob protested with outrage in his tone and expression.

"And who's gonna help you prove that?", Rex asked mockingly. "Idiot".

Leo then realized that there was only one thing to do. With pained resignation, he decided to offer that pig a deal. "What do you want, Bukin? We can make a deal".

"What do you think I want?", Jacob asked. "I want to get out of here".

"And you'll tell me who you work for?", Leo asked for confirmation. He was a bit surprised that Jacob was willing to make a deal. Russian gangsters rarely, if ever, gave information to the authorities.

"Yeah", Jacob assured him with a nod. He wasn't an idiot. In prison he had a lot of time to think about the circumstances that led to his arrest and he had figured out what happened. "Those bastards set me up to protect that Laitanan guy. I'm done protecting them".

"I'll call the White House". Leo then left the interrogation room with Rex, Jeffrey and the other guards. He then looked at Jeffrey, "Call that pig's lawyer, his name is Stan Milfoil". Leo was familiar with Milfoil because the weasel was the lawyer of several Russian gangsters.

"Okay. I'll call him", Jeffrey agreed.

At that moment, a third guard appeared looking for Rex. "Sir, two prisoners got into a fight".

Rex looked at Leo apologetically. "I'll be right back".

Leo nodded understanding. "Of course".

Then Rex and Jeffrey left the room.

_Once alone in the observation room, Leo took his cellphone to call the Renee._

_Meanwhile, Bukin was sitting down in the interrogation room. _

_At the same time, Liev was parking his car in the prison's parking lot. _

_At that same moment, Renee was leaving the White House to go to her lunch with the senators. _

**12.54.01 – 12.54.02 – 12.54.03 – 12.54.04 PM**

**12.56.22 – 12.56.23 – 12.56.24 – 12.56.25 PM**

_Bukin was still waiting impatiently in the interrogation room_.

_At that same moment, George entered Nora's office and gave her a folder._

_In the meantime, Renee was driving her car to go to the restaurant while talking with Leo on her cellphone about the deal offered to Jacob._

_Right then, Liev entered the correctional complex and passed through a security checkpoint. _

After passing through a security checkpoint without raising suspicions, since he had taken the identity of a real security guard, Liev walked down the hallways and headed to the interrogation room like he belonged there.

He soon reached the observation room. Two security guards were there. Luckily, he was prepared for such eventuality. He took his cellphone and quickly entered the prison's data base to search the name of those guards. Then, he used radio to talk to them without being seen. He talked with a very professional tone. "Officers Bolan, Munson, you're needed in ward D".

"Copy that", officer Munson replied. Then he and officer Bolan left to go where they were supposedly needed.

Liev then entered the observation room. Leo was there talking on his phone with Renee, "Okay, try to convince the president. It's the only way we can get the information". Leo paused to hear Renee's answer. "Okay. Keep me posted".

Leo just lifted his chin at Liev as a greeting, thinking the other man was just a guard. Without any sort of warning, the Russian gangster gave him a strong electric shot with a taser pistol and Leo felt to the ground.

Then Liev entered the interrogation room. Jacob looked at him horrified, knowing who the other Russian was. The fat man tried to fight but was handcuffed and Liev shot him with a taser pistol too.

While Jacob was incapacitated, Liev took a knife from his pocket and sliced his throat.

Very quickly, Liev left the room and then walked through the observation room, leaving the knife in the hands of an unconscious Leo.

**12.59.56 – 12.59.57 – 12.59.58 – 12.59.59 PM**

**01 PM**


	6. You'll need your energy today

**Author's note:** Hi, guys! Thanks for the support. I'm glad that some people are enjoying this story. I'm so sorry it took me so long to finish this chapter. I had some real life obligations and, truth be told, I wasn´t very inspired.

As I always say, it's very difficult to write a story in this format. I need all the encouragement I can get.

Thank you, Brendan for all your help! You're great.

Thank you, Mars and Danny for the nice words. It means a lot to me that you guys are still following this story =)

Thank you, Lori51 for putting this story in your favorite list. It means the world to me. And thank you so much for your very nice words. You cheered me up. =)

Thank you, _myheadisclear,_ for putting me in your favorite author list. I'm flattered. You made my day.

**Disclaimer:** The show's not mine. Neither are the characters. I do own the necklace Elisha Cubert used on season 7 and the earrings Cherry Jones used on season 8. And the complete set of DVDs.

**CHAPTER 06: **

"**You'll Need Your Energy Today"**

**Previously:** Renee, Jack and Leo found out Igor Laitanan was the one who killed Liz, Jason Pillar and stalked Renee.

Leo went to a federal prison to interrogate Jacob Bukin, a gangster who knows who Igor works for.

Renee has a lunch with a group of senators. Unknown best to her, Igor paid a waiter called Julian Foster to put a drug in her drink and has sinister plans.

Ivan Jacobi, leader of the Russian mob operating in DC, sent a tough gangster called Liev Mastrosov to kill Bukin.

Bukin agreed to talk in exchange for a pardon. But Mastrosov killed him before he could talk, after giving Leo an electric shot.

_The following takes place between 01.00 PM and 02.00 PM, on the day of the State of the Union Address_.

**January 29th 2019 – Wednesday**

**01.02.28 PM**

**Burke, Virginia – Federal Bureau of Prisons – Correctional complex**

Liev Mastrosov had just sliced Jacob Bukin's throat and left the knife in the hands of Leo Craig, who was lying unconscious on the floor. But the FBI agent was starting to regain consciousness, so the Russian gangster gave him another electric shock. Then, he took Leo's netbook, opened it, accessed the security camera of the interrogation room with it and deleted the video of himself killing Bukin. After that, he hastily cleaned up his fingerprints from the computer and left the room walking really fast.

Soon enough Leo regained conscience. He stood up, left the knife on the table and noticed the door of the interrogation room opened. He rushed to look inside the room and saw Bukin lying dead on the floor.

Feeling stunned, he left the interrogation room quickly and opened the door to leave the observation room. The man posing as a security man who had given him the electric shot couldn't be very far.

Agent Jeffrey Teller was walking into the room at that moment and stood in Leo's way. "Leo, I called Milfoil, he's on his way". He was referring to Stanley Milfoil, Bukin's lawyer.

Without an explanation, Leo pushed brusquely Jeffrey aside to quickly leave the room and search for the mysterious assassin. "Move!".

Jeffrey was pissed by Leo's rudeness, but not at all surprised. For the past four hours, Leo had been acting like an asshole, even more than usual. He knew it was because Elizabeth was dead, so he decided to be patient.

The brown-eyed agent then decided to check on the suspect. He looked into the interrogation room through the big glass and widened his eyes, feeling stunned. Jacob Bukin was lying on the floor, clearly dead, with his neck sliced from ear to ear.

Jeffrey instinctively took his gun, since there was a killer at the loose. He thought about the abrupt way Leo had left the room. He also thought about one thing Leo had told the suspect: '_if you don't help me, I swear I'll kill you with my bare hands'_. Bukin had refused to cooperate without immunity and now was dead.

Without wasting another second, and with his gun readied, Jeffrey left the room to search for Leo. As he left, he saw a guard. He shouted at him, "The prisoner has been killed! Get Director Skyler, now!".

The surprised guard went to do as told while the FBI agent walked hastily down the hallways looking for Leo. He found him in a hallway talking to a security guard.

"There's a man, dressed as a security guard, who is not a security guard", Leo told the security guard he was talking to, who was naturally very surprised. "He's just killed a prisoner. We have to find him. He's about 5' 10" tall and 175 pounds, and has a black soul patch".

"Leo, stop it", Jeffrey ordered sharply.

Leo turned around to look at the other agent with a confused expression. His perplexity turned into shock and anger when he saw Jeffrey was pointing a gun at him. "What the hell are you doing?".

"I have to take you into custody while we investigate the murder of Jacob Bukin", Jeffrey told him rather coldly.

The FBI director just couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You think I did it?".

"You were the only one with him. And you'd threatened him just before", Jeffrey pointed out, never lowering his gun. Indeed, he was secretly scared of Leo. For what he had heard, the man was extremely dangerous. In his opinion, Leo should have never been made director. The guy was really violent and had no respect for the rules.

"I didn't do it", Leo insisted very firmly with a frown. "Someone attacked me".

Jeffrey didn't believe him. But it truly didn't matter whether Leo was guilty or not, the man had to be detained during the investigation of the murder. "Then you have nothing to worry about. But you know the protocol. We have to keep you detained until we corroborate your story".

"I'm trying to solve _Liz's murder_. I can't waste my time just sitting in a cell", Leo protested yelling loudly.

At that moment, Rex Skyler, director of the correctional complex, arrived with officers Clifford Bolan and Oscar Munson. Rex couldn't believe Jeffrey was holding Leo at gunpoint. It seemed crazy. "What's going on here?".

Jeffrey never took his coffee-brown eyes away from Leo as he put Rex up to speed. "Jacob Bukin is dead".

Rex was astonished. "What?".

"Someone cut his throat and Agent Craig was the only one there", the FBI field agent hastily explained with a very accusing tone.

"But I didn't do it", Leo quickly insisted. Then he looked directly into Rex's eyes. "I was attacked by a man dressed as one of your guards. Bukin was dead when I woke up".

The prison director looked very skeptical. "Dressed as one of our guards?".

"Yeah", the FBI director affirmed with a firm tone.

Rex just couldn't believe him. The agent's story sounded too crazy. "Agent Craig… are you saying that an assassin managed to get into a federal prison, dressed as guard, and he just passed three security check points without nobody even noticing he doesn't actually work here?". Rex's tone and eyes said '_Are you out of your freaking mind?_'.

Leo didn't hesitate to give a firm answer. "Yes. And he's probably still in the building".

Rex thought very briefly about what to do. He then addressed officer Bolan commandingly. "Cliff, start processing the scene and alert the guys at the entrances. No guard comes out without me saying so".

Clifford nodded promptly. "Yes, sir".

Then Rex addressed Officer Munson. "Oscar, get the videos of the security cameras in the interrogation room". Next he looked at Leo and promised solemnly, "We'll get to the bottom of this". After that he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Hum, until we clear this up, I'm afraid you have to hand your gun and your badge to your partner".

"Oh, for God's sake…", Leo exclaimed with frustration.

"I'm sorry, Agent Craig", Rex told him. "You'll have to do as I said. You can wait in my office".

Leo didn't even move and just looked into Rex's eyes again for a moment. Then he puffed and gave up. He handed his gun and badge to Jeffrey, with clear anger in his hazel eyes.

"I'll call division and report", Jeffrey informed dryly. "And I'll tell Reynolds, Park, Moran and Remick to come here".

"Do whatever you want", Leo spited out crankily. "You're Acting Director now". Without giving the other agent another look, Leo just headed to Rex's office escorted by the correctional director and a security guard.

**01.09.18 – 01.09.19- 01. 09. 20 – 01. 09. 21 PM**

**Central Michael Richard Restaurant- 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue- Washington DC.**

Renee Walker was sitting by her restaurant table, ready to have lunch with the senators. Senator Myron Wilcox was sitting at her right. He was a senator from Nashville, Tennessee, who had just been elected senator for the first time. His senate seat had once been occupied by President Taylor and her father before her. At Renee's left, sat Wesley Elbridge, a first-timer from Illinois. Across from Renee, sat Wendell Draper, a senator from Virginia, recently reelected for a fourth term. Myron and Wesley were members of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee, while Wendell was the chairman of that committee.

President Taylor needed them to support the Moss-Buchanan advanced PATRIOT act, which allowed torture under very extreme circumstances, but those senators believed that torture should not be allowed, ever. The White House Chief of Staff was having lunch with them to negotiate and to try to change their minds.

Unlike Renee, those senators enjoyed chit-chatting before talking business. "So, Senator Draper, has your daughter set a wedding date yet?", the senator from Tennessee asked.

"Yeah. May 5th", the senator from Virginia replied. His eyes sparkled with pride when he thought of his only daughter. "Elaine is going crazy with the preparations. But she loves being the mother of the bride".

At that moment, Julian Foster approached them. The waiter spoke very politely. "Hello. I'm Julian. I'll be your waiter today". Then he handed one menu to each person. When he gave a menu to Renee he couldn't help to look down awkwardly. He couldn't look directly at her. "Let me know when you're ready to order".

The waiter left very quickly. Renee was surprised by the awkwardness in him, but she didn't think it meant anything. She simply addressed the senators. "We should wait for Senator Goddard to order".

"Yes", Senator Draper agreed promptly. "She should be here shortly".

It was then that Senator Elbridge noticed the big rock in Renee's left ring finger. He was very surprised. "Wow, it looks like Senator Draper's daughter is not the only one getting married".

Senators Wilcox and Draper then looked at Renee's hand and felt surprised too. "Is that so?", Myron asked Renee for confirmation.

"Yes. I'm getting married", Renee confirmed with a smile.

"Jack Bauer?", Wendell guessed easily, he knew Bauer and Walker were living toguether. He couldn't help but to frown angrily when he thought about the former CTU agent. The man had tortured probably hundreds of people and the president had still named him National Security Advisor. The sixty year old Senator from Virginia was very upset about that.

"Yes", Renee replied and then pressed her lips together, trying not to say anything else. She knew Senator Draper hated Jack and she wanted to defend her fiancé more than anything. But Wendell was an US Senator and she couldn't be rude, especially since the president needed him. 

Myron browsed carelessly through the menu as he continued the conversation. "And do you know when, Ms. Walker?",

Renee felt a bit uncomfortable, since she hated to talk about personal matters with people she didn't know well. Yet, bonding with the senators was crucial for her work. So the chief of staff had no choice but to answer the senator's question. "March 25th"

"Oh, it's coming soon", Wesley commented.

Renee nodded and smiled with clear excitement. Her smile reached her gorgeous crystal-blue eyes.

Wendell was not feeling at ease talking about Bauer's wedding. So he changed to topic of conversation rather brusquely. "Why don't we order just the drinks?",

"All right", the fifty seven year old senator from Tennessee agreed and the others nodded along.

Julian was observing the table and saw Senator Draper gesturing for him to come. He very rapidly approached the table. "Yes, sir?".

"We'd like our drinks", Wendell told him. Then he looked at his pal. "We could share a bottle of Chardonnay".

Myron agreed enthusiastically. "That sounds good".

"I'd like mineral water, please", Renee told Julian, who took notes and avoided making eye contact with her.

"And I'd like a coke", Wesley added. He, like Renee, never drank alcohol so early in the day.

"All right". Julian bowed his head and left to get the drinks.

Wendell suddenly got excited when he saw two of his republican peers coming into the restaurant. "Look, Sheldon and Caleb are here". Then he looked at the woman in the table. "Mind if I ask them to join us?".

Renee smiles politely. "Not at all".

Then Senator Draper went to ask his colleagues to join them.

"This should be interesting", Myron whispered sarcastically in Wesley's ear.

Soon enough, Wendell approached the table with Senator Sheldon Greenwood and Senator Caleb Holloman. Greenwood was the senior senator for Arizona while Holloman was the senior senator for New York, in his third term. Both of them belonged to the select committee on intelligence, Caleb was the chairman.

"Hi". Sheldon greeted Renee, Wesley and Myron with handshakes and nods.

Caleb gave Renee a genuine smile. It was the first time they saw each other since Renee was hit by a car on New Year's Eve and almost died. "Ms. Walker, it's nice to see you up and about".

Renee smiled back at him graciously. "Thank you, senator"

"I'm glad to see you recovered so quickly", Sheldon told her. Renee gave him a little smile.

Senator Greenwood took the only empty chair by the table, meant for Mac Goddard. So another seat was needed for Caleb Holloman. After noticing this, Senator Draper addressed a waitress that was nearby. "Kid, these two gentlemen are going to join us. We need an extra chair". After the waitress bowed her head in agreement the senator took his own seat.

The waitress very soon brought a chair for Caleb to sit down.

"Thank you", Caleb politely said as he sat down. Once settled on his chair, the Jewish senator addressed the others. "Have you ordered?".

"Just the drinks. We are waiting for Mac", Myron explained.

Right on cue, Senator Mackenzie Brogan Goddard walked hastily through the front door of the restaurant. She was the junior senator from Florida and another member of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee. Mac was a petite forty year old woman, had freckles, short curly brown hair and brandy-brown eyes.

She greeted everyone with her typical warm smile. "Hi".

"How was your flight, senator?", Renee asked kindly, and then drank some water.

"Very good, thank you", Mac told the other woman.

Very soon, the waitress who had brought the extra seat noticed the new arrival and brought another seat for the senator of Florida. Mac gave the young waitress a polite smile. "Thank you".

The waitress smiled back at her. "You're welcome, ma'am".

Almost simultaneously, Julian approached the table again with the drinks. He first gave Renee her water. Then he gave Wesley his coke. After that, he allowed Wendell to taste the wine and, once the senator approved, he served to glasses. Finally, he nicely addressed Mac, Sheldon and Caleb. "Would you like something to drink as well?".

_Mac, Sheldon and Caleb ordered their drinks and Julian wrote down their order. _

_Meanwhile, in the correctional complex, Leo was in Rex Skyler's office, pacing around the room like a caged tiger. _

_At that moment, Officer Cliff Bolan was revising Leo's computer, searching for evidence. _

_Simultaneously, inside the interrogation room, officers were taking pictures of Jacob Bukin's body as evidence. _

**01.15.39 – 01.15.40- 01. 15. 41 – 01. 15. 42 PM**

**01.18.23 – 01.18.24 - 01.18. 25 – 01.18.26 PM**

_In the correctional complex, Rex was supervising other officers as they carefully continued processing the crime scene. _

_At the same time, in the correctional complex, Officer Oscar Munson was looking at the security footage from the camera in the interrogation room. _

_Meanwhile, Agent Jeffrey Teller was in the observation room, talking over the phone. _

_Right then, in the restaurant, Renee was and the senators were talking and browsing through their menus. _

Senator Greenwood casually took a sip of his merlot and then addressed the White House chief of staff. "Let me tell you something, kid. We are all looking forward to tonight".

"Is the president gonna make a comeback?", Caleb Holloman asked, keeping his eyes on Renee with interest.

Renee pretended to be confused by his question. "I… I didn't realize she'd left anywhere".

Renee's comment was received with soft chuckles. Everyone knew the president's popularity numbers were alarmingly low. Allison Taylor wasn't nearly as popular as she had once been. The State of the Union was an opportunity to show who she was and win her people over again.

"We are concerned about her numbers", Myron said somberly, speaking for all republicans right then.

"We know she needs our support", Mac said nicely to the other woman in the table. "But I can't, in good conscience, vote for the bill just to help the president with her numbers".

"Neither can I", Senator Draper said quickly, and then he drank some of his chardonnay.

"Me neither", the Jewish senator from New York said, almost at the same time.

"I would never ask you to do that", Renee assured them rapidly. "I'm asking you to vote for this bill because the country needs you to. This piece of legislation will allow us to protect America without compromising our most basic values…".

Wendell interrupted her with a careless shrug. "That's where you and I disagree, kid. I think that allowing enhanced interrogation techniques, in any circumstance, goes against the values this nation should uphold".

Renee began to refute his argument with confidence. "This proposed alternative set of procedures…".

Caleb cut her right off sharply. "Torture". He got only confused stares, so he clarified what he meant. "If we are going to talk about this, let's call it like it is…", Caleb stated very firmly. "No '_enhanced interrogation techniques_' or '_alternative set of procedures'_. We are talking about torture".

Everyone remained silent for a moment. Some of the senators didn't felt comfortable with Caleb using the T word. Mac looked down and nervously drank some of her water. Then she exchanged a look with Wesley, who just raised his eyebrows. Myron cleared his throat and Sheldon uncomfortably drank some of his merlot. But Wendell simply gave Renee a triumphant smirk.

Renee was not fazed at all. She never took her crystal-blue eyes away from the Jewish senator. She was rather impressed by his no-nonsense attitude. She tried to suppress a tiny smile as she responded. "Fair enough".

**01.20.45 – 01.20.46 - 01.20. 47 – 01.20.48 PM**

**The White House – Old Executive Office Building**

The director of White House Secret Service operations, Nathaniel O'Malley, was working hard as usual in his office. At that moment, he was sitting behind his desk, carefully analyzing the schematics of the Capitol. He had already done so hundredths of times, but he was very meticulous.

At that moment, Agent Evan Macallister walked into the office. The 27 seven year old agent put a big pile of files over the director's desk while explaining what they were. "These are the files of the individuals that sent threats in the last couple of days, sir. You wanted to examine them yourself". Next he separated the pile into two piles. "These ones are threats against the president and Mr. Kanin". Then he patted the other pile. "These ones are against senior staffers".

"Who's the lucky winner?", Nathan asked sarcastically, meaning who had gotten the most threats.

"Renee Walker", Evan replied dryly.

Nathan nodded, taking in the information. "Okay… Thank you, Evan". Nathan smiled kindly at the young agent he considered his protégé. Evan bowed his head slightly and was about to leave the office, but the director stopped him before the young man could reach the door. "Evan… you know… if someone wants to kill the president, or the chief of staff for that matter, he or she won't send a threat".

"It's hardly unlikely", Evan acknowledged..

There was no hint of doubt in Nathan's mind. "They'll just do it".

"I know that, sir", Evan assured the older man with a solemn tone. He then bit his lower lip and hesitated for a second before talking again. "Then, may I ask… Why do you want to examine those threats?".

Nathan's aquamarine-green eyes widened in surprise and disbelief. He couldn't believe Evan didn't know the answer to that question already. "It's the standard procedure". He then softened his tone. "Taking extremely precautions is imperative to do our jobs right, son".

Evan nodded. "You're absolutely right, boss".

"Now go have lunch, would you?", Nathan urged his protégé nicely. "You'll need your energy today".

"Okay", the young skinny agent agreed with a smile that reached his russet-brown eyes before leaving the office.

Right after Evan left, Zoe O'Malley Forrest walked in. The cheerful twenty-year-old smiled at her dad. "Hi".

Nathan lighted up as soon as he saw his oldest daughter. "Hi, sweetie".

Zoe was carrying two sandwiches and two sodas. She gave a sandwich and a soda to her dad. "I came to bring you lunch". She then took a seat across her dad. "I figured you'd want to eat by your desk today".

"Actually, I wasn't planning on having lunch at all", Nathan admitted rather awkwardly.

"Dad…", Zoe scolded her dad with a frown.

Nathan naturally had a good excuse. "I have a lot to do, sweetie".

"I know. And I'm busy too. But you need to take care of yourself", Zoe lectured him.

Nathan gave in to his oldest daughter as he usually did. "Okay… Okay. Let's see this sandwich". He opened the bag with his sandwich and saw it had cheese, ham, tomato and egg, like he liked. "Looks great. Thank you". He happily ate some of it.

Zoe smiled and then ate some of her own sandwich, which was exactly like her father's. "What are those?", she then wondered, gesturing at the files with her head.

"Files of people threatening the president and her senior staff", Nathan explained casually. Zoe's lips wrinkled with concern. "Hey, would you like to look at the pictures? You could tell me if you've seen any of these lunatics lurking around".

"Okay", Zoe promptly agreed with a solemn expression. She then took the first file and gave it a quick look.

Right then there was a timid knock on the door. Zoe rapidly stood up to open it. She smiled when she saw agent Arizona Rush there. "Agent Rush". Zoe and Arizona had gotten to know each other well since the blonde agent was in charge of Renee's office.

"Zoe, hi", Agent Rush greeted the younger woman with a warm smile and then she bowed her head at Nathan. "Sir".

"Arizona", Nathan greeted her with some surprise. He looked at his watch. "Your shift started already?".

"I start at two", Arizona clarified rapidly. "But I know you wanted this report as soon as possible so…"

Nathan raised his thick eyebrows and took the report. As Arizona gave him the folder, their hands touched by accident and he felt electricity running through his body. He thought she was stunning. He found her big brandy-brown eyes magnetic. And her gorgeous features were accentuated by her extremely short straight blonde hair.

Immediately, Nathan snapped out of his daze and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Thank you. I appreciate it".

"Any time". The young agent then gave Nathan and Zoe a smile. At that moment, she noticed for the first time the bruise in Zoe's face. It was very well covered, actually. But someone with Arizona's power of observation and well-trained eye could notice it. "Oh, what happened?".

Zoe instinctively put a hand over her bruised cheek. "Oh… I had an accident when I was ice skating".

"My daughter is a klutz", Nathan declared light-heartedly. Zoe just rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'm glad it wasn't serious", Arizona said. "Anyway, I should leave now".

"I'll see you later. We have a meeting to revise the protocols at four", Nathan gently reminded her.

"Yes, Sir. I'll see you there". The young agent bowed her head, gave Zoe a small smile and left the two of them alone.

Once she was alone again with her dad, Zoe took a bite of her sandwich and tried to act casual as she tried to question him about his personal life. She was not subtle at all. She had noticed the way her dad and Arizona looked at each other. "So… hmm…. Agent Rush is a beautiful woman, isn't she?".

"I suppose she is", Nathan agreed, feigning certain indifference. He shrugged and didn't look directly at his daughter.

"And she seems smart and devoted to her job", Zoe added.

"Yeah?". Nathan wondered why his daughter was suddenly interested in Agent Rush. He narrowed his aquamarine-green eyes with a suspicion in his mind.

"You should ask her out", Zoe suggested bluntly. She believed someone like Arizona Rush was perfect for her dad.

"She's twenty nine", Nathan pointed out, not hiding his astonishment. He couldn't believe his daughter was suggesting what she was suggesting.

Zoe shrugged carelessly. "So?"

"I'm fifty seven", Nathan reminded her.

Zoe bit her lower lip and nodded. She had to admit to herself that there was a big age difference. She quickly came up with another idea. "What about someone closer to your age? I think Lynnette Lockhart is available".

Nathan was getting annoyed. "Why are you suddenly trying to find me a girlfriend?",

Zoe didn't say anything for a brief moment. She then replied a bit timidly, "Because you're lonely".

"No. I am not", Nathan argued firmly, but not quite sincerely. "I don't have a girlfriend, but I'm okay. I don't feel lonely. I'm too busy to have a girlfriend anyway".

"There's more in life than just work", Zoe stated. Her green deep-set eyes, identical to her dad's, were full of concern. "You need someone, dad".

"I'm telling you… I'm fine", Nathan insisted.

Then a thought suddenly crossed Zoe's mind. Could it be that her dad was waiting to see if he could get back together with her mom? Her concern turned then into sadness. "Dad… mom is not going to take you back. You know that, right?".

There was then some sadness in Nathan's eyes. "I know". Lillian had kicked him out of the house and filed for divorce a year before. She had said he didn't know how to be a good husband and a father, that he was obsessed with his job and neglected his family. She would never understand his devotion to his job.

Zoe got then a bit uncomfortable. "Hmm, she… she's actually dating Chelsea's math teacher".

Nathan wasn't very surprised. He just felt a little bit hurt. He swallowed and tried to act indifferent. "Really? Is Chelsea okay with that? It must be weird for her".

"She's cool", Zoe rapidly assured her dad, to make him feel better. "She's just worried about you".

"I'll talk to her as soon as I can", he assured his oldest daughter. "You and your sister should know that I am fine. You two and my job make me very happy".

Zoe was still not very convinced. "Really?"

Nathan held his daughter's hand. "You two are the loves of my life".

Father and daughter then exchanged a warm smile. Then Zoe quickly got up from the table and went to hug her dad and kiss his cheek.

**01.27.25 – 01.27.26 - 01.27.27 – 01.27.28 PM**

**Burke, Virginia – Federal Bureau of Prisons – Correctional complex**

Leo was still in Rex Skyler's office. He was sitting down unhappily and impatiently with his arms folded across his chest. He just wanted to solve his situation to continue investigating. He had to catch Igor Laitanan. What if that bastard hurt Renee? Or what if the fat son of a bitch left the country? He couldn't let that happen.

At that moment, Rex entered his office with Jeffrey Teller. They didn't look happy or relieved at all. "This doesn't look good, Leo", Jeffrey told him somberly. "Your fingerprints are in the murder weapon".

"I told you… the man must have put that knife in my hands when I was down". Leo was visible irritated. He was about to lose his temper. They were wasting their time with him. They needed to catch the real killer.

"The same man who was dressed as a security man and who we didn't find even though we checked the entire building?", Jeffrey asked rhetorically. It was clear that he didn't believe Leo's story at all.

"He must have escaped", Leo argued persistently. "Check the security camera footage… he must be in there".

"Our security footage has been tampered", Rex informed dryly, to Leo's surprise.

Leo was confused by the information. "Tampered how?".

"Someone set up a video loop on the surveillance camera", Rex explained. "And some footage has been deleted".

"This was done from your computer", Jeffrey added with a very accusing tone.

Leo was genuinely stunned. "What?". He shook his head in denial. "No… He… he must have used my computer. He…".

Jeffrey wouldn't let him finish the sentence. "Stop it, Leo".

But Leo persisted. "We have to recover the deleted footage".

"Janis will work on it", Jeffrey affirmed with a nod. "In the meantime, we are taking you to the justice department as soon as Reynolds and Park get here. They'll take you".

"Are you too scared of me to take me yourself, Teller?", Leo asked mockingly.

Jeffrey pressed his lips together and his fists. He was very angry. But he was able to control himself. After all, he wasn't a beast like Craig. He followed the proper procedures like Larry Moss once had. As much as he wanted to, he wouldn't beat an unarmed suspect. He just gave him an angry stare. "You wish! You don't scare me, Craig. I just have too much to do". Then his expression became arrogant. "After all… I _am_ acting director now".

Leo mocked him again. "Am I supposed to congratulate you?",

Right then Jeffrey's cellphone rang. The brown-eyed agent checked the ID screen and then made his excuses to Rex. "I have to take this. It's the office". Next he gave Leo another angry stare. "Call your lawyer".

_Then Jeffrey left the room._

_Meanwhile, Leo sat there looking truly miserable. _

_At the same time, Liev was driving his navy-blue lotus. He was heading back to his apartment in Arlington, Virginia._

_At that moment, Jacob Bukin's corpse was being taken away from the interrogation room in a black body bag._

**01.30.11 – 01.30.11 - 01.30.11 – 01.30.11 PM**

**01.33.04 – 01.33.05 - 01.33.06 – 01.33.07 PM**

_In the Old Executive Office building, Nathan and Zoe continued sharing lunch as they examined files._

_Simultaneously, Rex was showing Leo footage from the security cameras while they waited for Reynolds and Park._

_Right then, Jeffrey Teller was on the phone, talking to Janis._

_Meanwhile, in the restaurant, Renee and the senators kept talking_.

Julian Foster observed Renee and the senators chatting. He was really nervous. The crucial moment was getting closer. He bit his lower lip looking distraught. However, he knew there was no backing down. If he decided not to do what they had told him to do they would kill his entire family. Besides, he truly needed the money urgently. His little girl had leukemia and he couldn't afford the treatment she so desperately needed.

He made himself strong and headed to the kitchen with a trail. In the kitchen, what Renee and the senators had ordered as entrance was ready to be served. Renee had ordered a vegetables soup. Discretely, Julian got a little bottle with a transparent liquid from his pocket. He looked around to see if someone was watching him. But everybody was too busy working, so he quickly poured the liquid into the soup.

As he took the food to the table, his hand was shaking slightly and he was sweating cold. He was terrified. But he tried to act composed as he gave people their entrances.

First, he gave Mac Goddard her tomato and carrot salad. Then he gave Sheldon Greenwood his tomato soup. Next he gave Caleb Holloman a tartlet. After that, he gave Myron Wilcox a Russian salad. Next Wendell Draper received his own salad. After him, Wesley Elbridge received a soup. Finally, it was Renee Walker's turn.

Julian hesitated just for a moment and bit his lower lip. He really didn't want to do it. Nevertheless, he didn't have a choice. He finally gave Renee her soup.

Renee gave the waiter a polite smile. "Thank you".

Julian got truly uncomfortable. He barely managed to bow his head. Then he walked away from the table quickly. He felt sick. He was disgusted with himself. He could barely breathe regular.

Another waiter, a man in his fifties, then noticed that Julian looked white as a sheet of paper. He approached him with concern. "Julian, are you okay?".

Julian just stared at him like a deer caught in the lights. "Yeah… yeah… I just… would you cover my tables, please? I… I need a minute. I don't feel well".

The older waiter was genuinely concerned. "Oh, what's wrong?",

He was terrified and felt like he was going to throw up. He was disgusted. But he couldn't say that. He just made something up. "Just a headache. I need some fresh air",

"Okay. Go", the other waiter agreed promptly.

Julian then left quickly the restaurant through the back door. Once outside, in a back alley, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes and tilted his head back. He absorbed all the very cold air and it relaxed him. It was very cold. He was just wearing his uniform. But the cold helped him to keep his head clear.

Igor Laitanan was watching him from the distance. The fat Russian gangster was lurking around the restaurant like a hawk. He still had to wait before he could take Renee Walker. He was getting too anxious. He wanted to avenge the death of his brother right at that second.

Very impatiently, he approached the skinny waiter. "What happened? Did you give it to her?".

Julian was startled. He then looked around nervously to check nobody was looking at them and then he looked at Igor feeling miserable. "Yes. But the drug hasn't kicked in… yet".

Igor frowned. But then he accepted the fact that he would have to wait. After all, he would put his hands on her soon enough. "Remember… When she starts feeling sick, you have to tell her that her boyfriend, Jack Bauer, is calling her. Say you'll take her to the phone and bring her to me".

"Yeah. I remember the plan". Julian assured him. "But she's not an idiot. She'll notice I'm taking her out through the back door and not to the phone".

¨She won't. She'll be too confused to notice anything", Igor affirmed confidently.

Julian accepted what the man was saying. "Okay".

"Okay. So everything is going just like it should". Igor noticed Julian looked sick. He patted the young man's cheek condescendingly. "Cheer up, Julian. When this is over, you'll get plenty of money to give your kid the best medical treatment in the world".

Julian sighed with resignation, looking down. "Yeah".

Igor's face turned deadly serious. "Hey. You know what happens if you back down, right?".

Julian then looked directly at him with an equally serious expression. "I do".

Even so, Igor reminded him. "I will kill your family".

Julian was very aware of that fact. "I know".

Nevertheless, Igor kept threatening. "If this plan fails because of you…".

"I know", Julian insisted, this time more firmly.

"Then get back in there", Igor ordered brusquely as he gestured at the restaurant.

Julian nodded and headed rapidly back to work.

**01.37.37 – 01.37.38 - 01.37.39 – 01.37.40 PM**

**Washington DC. – The White House**

After having lunch with his deputy, Jack was in his office by himself, working hard on a report he had to write. Then, Ruth Carmichael walked into the office with a bunch of folders labeled ´_Classified: top secret_'´. She put them on his desk. "This is from Secret Service and state, sir".

Jack looked at the immense pile, which he would have to carry home, and groaned. "Someone should tell O'Malley and Heller that this is the twenty first century".

"Having all the information in computers is not safe, sir. Computers get hacked and that's how vital information falls in the wrong hands". Ruth used a very serious tone and expression. The sixty four year old assistant was very respectful, but she wasn't afraid to speak her mind and argue with Jack if necessary.

"I know". Jack sighed defeated, then looked at his wristwatch and raised his eyebrows. "Shouldn't Carl be here already?".

"That's what I came to tell you, sir. Mr. Greene is late for the meeting he'll come in about fifteen minutes". Ruth shook her head and puffed annoyed. She was a very formal person who hated tardiness. "This messes with the entire schedule".

Jack didn't care so much. "It's okay, Mrs. Carmichael. I'll finish that position paper I had to write".

"You wanted to see Cooper Jamison", Ruth quickly reminded him.

"Oh, right". Jack stood up immediately. "I'll go now".

Next Jack left the office and walked down the hallway. He headed to George Sullivan's office, where Cooper was patiently waiting for his grandparents. He walked by the ante chamber of Renee's office and, next to it, he found George's. Right outside of the office, he saw Emma Crewson, the deputy chief of staff's assistant. "Hi. I wanted to see Cooper. Is he alone?".

"Yes. George is in the Roosevelt Room", Emma said. "Please, just go in". She gestured to the office.

"Thank you". Jack then walked into the office. Cooper was lying on the couch, apparently playing a game with a cellphone. "Hi, Coop". Jack gave the kid a small smile.

"Hi", the nine year old greeted back and sat up to make room for Jack in the couch.

"How are you?", Jack asked. The kid just gave him a sad stare. "I know. Stupid question". Cooper nodded in agreement and looked down. Jack then sat right next to the kid. "So, what were you playing?".

The kid shrugged with visible indifference. "Just a Simpsons game. Homer has to beat bad guys. George let me download it to his cell".

Jack gave him a small smile, but his aquamarine-green eyes showed how sad he felt for the kid. "That's nice from him". He then lowered his tone. "Look, I came to tell you that I'm very sorry about your mom".

Cooper sadly looked down. "Thanks". He had heard that phrase hundredths of times in the past four hours. Even the president had dropped by to tell him she was sorry and that his mom was a very brave woman. It didn't make him feel better, but it impressed him that the president of the United States cared about his mom.

Jack caressed the kid's back in a comforting manner. "You know? In the last couple of months she became a close friend of mine. You know how Leo and Renee are very-very close?".

The kid nodded. "Yeah. My mom called them The Dark Twins".

Jack let out a soft chuckle. "That's right". He gave the kid a small smile. "Well, your mom and I felt a little left out because of their closeness, so she and I bonded over that and became close to. She understood what it was like to date one of the Dark Twins, and that made me feel better". The kid just remained silent and looking down sadly. It was breaking Jack's heart to see him so miserable. So he tried to add something comforting. "I believe she is in a better place". Cooper nodded sadly and looked down. Everybody kept telling the kid about the better place. Jack remembered hearing so millionths of times when Teri died. It hadn't really helped him. Jack wasn't even sure if such place existed, but he wanted to believe in it. He sighed with pained resignation. "I know, buddy. That doesn't really help".

None of them said a world for a moment. Then a question suddenly crossed Cooper's mind. "Jack… do you think my mom found my dad already… in that better place?".

Jack answered the question in a heartbeat. "Yes. Of course".

"But my mom loved Leo. Isn't my dad upset?", Cooper asked worriedly.

"No. He's not", Jack replied firmly. "He wanted your mom to be very happy. Besides, your mother loved your dad too because he gave her you".

Cooper then looked directly at Jack. "Leo said the same thing when he asked me permission to marry my mom".

Jack was very surprised and confused to hear that. "They got engaged?".

Cooper shook his head. "They couldn't. My mom died before he could propose".

The story made Jack incredibly sad. He didn't really know what to say. It was a horrible situation. So he said the only nice thing that came to mind. "Well, asking your permission was very nice from Leo".

"Yeah". Cooper bit his lower lip and looked down again. Soon his topaz-brown eyes were on Jack again with clear concern. "Will I be allowed to see him even though he won't be my stepdad?".

Jack truly didn't know the answer. "That's up to your grandparents".

"I hope they let me see him", Cooper declared softly.

Jack gave him a small smile and patted his back. "I hope so too, kiddo".

**01.40.45 – 01.40.46 - 01.40.47 – 01.40.48 PM**

George Ace Sullivan, reached the office of Clyde Morven, White House deputy Chief of Staff for operations. Clyde answered to Renee but wasn't considered '_senior staff'_, unlike George, who held the title of '_White House Deputy Chief of Staff for policy and senior advisor'_. Right then, Clyde's office had been momentarily turned into a war room to work on the Moss-Buchanan Advanced PATRIOT Act, since the Roosevelt room was being use for working on the state of the union address.

In the office, there was a big board with the names of the one hundredth senators and next to each name said '_Yes_' or '_no_' or '_Undecided_', according to the position of the senator in question regarding the Moss-Buchanan Act. So far, there were 35 'yes's, 40 'no's and 25 'undecided's. Some 'no's were written in green. That meant that the mentioned senator could be still convinced to change his or her vote. There were barely four greens.

George had to take the elevator because Clyde's office was on the second of the West Wing. Once he got down the elevator, he took a few steps and entered Clyde office.

Clyde was talking over the phone and looked very disappointed. "Yes, I understand, Senator". He paused to listen to the senator. "Yeah, I'm sorry too". He paused again before responding, "Okay. I'll tell her that". He paused yet again to listen to the senator. "Bye". He disconnected the call and then looked at George, "We lost Beckwith".

George widened his steel-blue eyes in surprise. "What?".

Clyde went to the board, erased the '_Undecided_' next to '_Thatcher Beckwith (D)_' and wrote a '_no_'. As he did that, he explained the situation to George, "He said we might end up hurting an innocent person. And he's not comfortable with the use of Hyoscine-pentothal".

"But I played chess and had brandy with the guy last weekend. He was on board", George protested loudly, in complete disbelief.

"Someone must have talked to him after that", Clyde guessed smoothly. After a pause, he ventured, "Sandra Palmer?". He knew the recently elected senator from California was very much against the law. Maybe she had changed Beckwith's mind.

Clyde didn't think so. "Nah. What does she have to offer him? She's a junior".

"But she's a Palmer", Clyde pointed out quickly.

George then sighed defeated. "We have to find out … Walk with me". Very quickly, the two deputies began walking side by side while they talked. "Where are we on 136?". He was talking about House Resolution 136, informally known as '_The nuclear proliferation Bill'_. It was a controversial bill for the USA to begin dismantling its nuclear program.

"Ten more votes for it to pass in committee", Clyde informed.

George frowned unhappily. They hadn't made as much progress as he would like. "Call Angus Cordell. It seemed that he could be persuaded. And he could get us five more votes", he ordered talking fast

"What does it say that democrats are the ones who support our initiatives?", Clyde asked rhetorically.

At that moment they reached the elevator. Both men took it and continued their converseation. "It says that President Taylor cares about what's best for the country even if her proposals are not very popular within her own party".

"Or maybe the president is switching parties", the deputy Chief of staff for operations joked lightly. But George ignored the joke, clearly not finding it amusing.

They got down the elevator in the first floor and kept walking and talking fast. "Set me up a meeting with Winston Barret. I want to know how much progress has he made", George said. Congressman Barret had introduced the bill. The republican Congressman was the minority leader in the house.

"All right", Clyde agreed in an instant. Then he moved on to a different topic. "And what's going on in Lithuania?".

"The troops haven't moved yet", George informed, not without some relief. Dalia Hassan had recently lost an oil deal with Lithuania because of Russian President Nickolai Karkov. The Russian president had pushed his Lithuanian counterpart to make him blow off a deal made with Kamistan. The situation could very easily turn into World War III. But, so far, it hadn't.

Clyde looked at George with a worried expression as they kept walking. "Russia and Kamistan won't use conventional weapons if they go to war. Kamistan hasn't finished dismantling its nuclear program".

"Don't remind me". George then attempted to add something reassuring, "Renee, NSA and CIA are on it".

At that moment, they reached George's office. Right outside of it, his 32 year old assistant, Emma Crewson, was working as usual. Emma stood up immediately after seeing her boss. She handed him a folder and gave him his messages. "Here's that treasury report you wanted. And your sister called. She wanted to tell you that Sabrina's piano recital is this Friday".

George was genuinely bummed by the news. "_This_ Friday? won't be able to make it",

Emma was not surprised, but she was disappointed, so she began to protest. "George…"

"I really can't go", the deputy argued, which the typical high tone he acquired when he felt trapped.

"You have to spend more quality time with them, George", the assistant lectured her boss in a concerned-friend manner. Emma and George were close and had the kind of relationship that allowed her to act in a not-very-formal way. They had known each other since the beginning Allison's Taylor presidential campaign.

"I know", George conceded, rubbing his forehead, feeling beat. He loved his sister Annabelle and his niece Sabrina. Annabelle had practically raised him since their parents had died when she was nineteen and he was nine. He wanted to spend time with them. But his job made it impossible. Still, he tried to make an effort. "Okay… Okay… I'll go to that thing. And I'll have dinner with them afterwards. So, make reservations, would you?".

The assistant was very pleased. "Annabelle will be thrilled".

George gave his assistant a tiny smile. But quickly he was back to business. "Anything else?".

"Yes. An FBI agent, Jeffrey Teller, called you. He needs you to call him back", Emma informed, talking then with a professional tone and quickly. "It sounded important".

The Deputy Chief of Staff for policy was surprised since he didn't expect such phone call. "Okay. Call him and patch him through my office". Emma nodded. George and Clyde then entered George's office. Cooper and Jack were there. George was taken aback when he saw the national security advisor. Jack had never been in the office before. "Hello, Jack. Hi, Coop", he greeted them. Then he yelled out for his assistant. "Emma! Is there anything you forgot to tell me?".

Emma stood up and turned around to see what George was talking about. She saw Jack and made an '_oops'_ expression. "Mr. Bauer is in your office".

George then waved dismissively. "Just patch Jeffrey Teller through". Next he addressed the National Security Advisor. "May I help you with anything?".

"No. I was just here to check on Cooper", Jack explained. "But I've got to go now".

"Wait, you might want to stick around for this call", George said. "Maybe it's a matter of national security". Jack nodded in agreement. After that, George looked at the kid with his steel-blue eyes full of compassion and playfully messed up Cooper's blonde curls, like so many people did to show affection. "So, how are you doing, buddy?".

The kid just shrugged noncommittally. "Fine".

In a split second, Emma's voice could be heard through the intercom. _"Jeffrey Teller on line one"._

George went quickly to pick up the phone and take the call. "George Sullivan".

Jeffrey was then in Rex Skyler's office, working on boring but necessary paperwork regarding the incident with Bukin and Leo. But he had decided it was time to inform the White House. He tried to reach Renee but she wasn't available so he settled for her deputy. "Mr. Sullivan, this is Agent Teller. I'm calling because there was a very serious incident while we were investigating the murders of Elizabeth Stockard and Jason Pillar".

George took a seat with a concerned expression. "What happened?".

"Our only lead, Jacob Bukin, was murdered just before he was about to talk", Jeffrey plainly explained. "And that's not the worst part, sir. We believe Director Leon Craig did it".

Instantly, George stood up alarmed and widened his steel-grey eyes like two plates. "What?".

"His fingerprints were on the murder weapon, the footage from the security camera was tampered from his computer and, more importantly, he was the only one there", the FBI agent told him.

George was simply in disbelief. "Did he confess?",

"He claims a man in a security guard uniform attacked him and then killed our lead", Jeffrey answered with skepticism showing in his voice. "But nobody saw such man".

George rubbed his temple again feeling a headache coming up. "How are you people handling it?"

"They are taking him to the justice department as we speak, sir. We need to continue the investigation. In the meantime, I'm acting director", Jeffrey informed.

"Okay", George said with a sigh. After that his tone turned much more severe. "But, listen to me... you have to be extremely discreet. We don't want this on the news today. You understand that, right?".

"Of course, sir", Jeffrey affirmed with a somewhat military tone.

"Good", George said. "Give me an update in an hour".

"Okay", the FBI Acting Director agreed.

Then George disconnected the call and looked lost on thoughts. Clyde got worried. "What happened?".

Jack was concerned too. "What's going on?".

George awkwardly looked at Cooper. He couldn't talk in front of the kid. "We should go to Renee's office". Not very discretely at all he gestured at Cooper with his head.

Cooper knew very well they didn't want to talk in front of him. "What's happening?".

"Nothing. We need to discuss something very boring about the budget", George lied very rapidly with a high tone of voice. "I'll be back soon. Stay here and play games or watch TV".

The grownups left very quickly and Cooper just sat there with a frown. He could tell something important was actually going on but he couldn't know about it because he was a kid. He realized there was nothing he could do, so he resignedly took George's cellphone and kept playing.

Jack, George and Clyde walked to the antechamber of Renee's office. Zoe and Eric Pratt, Renee's assistants, were there. George addressed the two of them. "Hey, I need you to call Renee. Send her a 911 message to her cell".

"What's going on, George?", Jack asked once again with a very serious expression.

**01.48.10 – 01.48.11 - 01.48.12 – 01.48.13 PM**

In the restaurant, Renee and the senators were enjoying their entrees while they discussed the serious matter of the Moss-Buchanan Act. At that moment, Senator Caleb Holloman was doing the talking. "I'm worried about the long-term effects of Hyoscine-pentothal. According to my research, it could cause permanent brain damage".

Renee didn't respond right away. She was feeling like crap. She was suddenly sleepy, dizzy and felt nauseas. She didn't know why. But she tried to be strong and acted like nothing was wrong. "I… I understand, Senator. But, please, if you take a look at this…". She took a folder from her briefcase and dropped it. She just blinked quickly and didn't react right away.

Senator Wesley Elbridge, who was next to her, picked up the folder and handed it to her. "Are you okay, Renee?".

"Yes. Thank you", Renee lied and attempted a tiny smile. She then addressed the Jewish senator again as she gave him the folder. "As you'll see… the drug only causes permanent brain damage if the person receives too much of it or too often. And we'll make sure that won't happen".

"But how do you know for sure how much is too much?", Caleb questioned right away.

At that moment, Renee's cellphone made a sound indicating she had a message. "Excuse me". She looked at the message, which said 911 and came strangely from her office. "I'm sorry. I… I need to call the White House. I'll be right back".

There was a small chorus of '_Of course_', '_it's all right_' and '_Go ahead_'.

Julian Foster straightened his back in alert when he saw Renee getting up. He watched heading to the entrance of the restaurant. Renee seemed a bit off, so he realized his time to act was getting closer.

Renee left the restaurant through the front door and called her office from her cellphone.

In the white house, Eric took the call. "Renee Walker's office".

The Chief of Staff leaned her back against a wall as she talked. She felt like she was going to fall down. "Eric, it's me. What's going on?".

"Mr. Sullivan needs to speak with you", Eric said, and then he handed the phone to Renee's deputy.

George brusquely took the phone and spoke with clear urgency. "Renee, we have a problem with Leon Craig".

"What problem?", Renee asked, only mildly alarmed.

George looked at Jack and Clyde, who were staring back at him expectantly. They were finding out at the same time Renee was. He then bluntly dropped the bombshell. "He killed Jacob Bukin". There was only silence on the other side of the line. "Renee?".

Renee didn't know what was wrong with her, but her reaction was slow and rather weak. "That's not possible".

"He was the only one there, his finger prints were all over the murder weapon and the security camera footage was tampered from his computer", George explained.

Renee was trying really hard to stay focused. What they were telling her was very serious and alarming, but it seemed like her brain was not working properly. "Is he… was… was he… arrested?".

"Yeah. They're taking him to the justice department as we speak". George then made a pause to hear to Renee. But, again, there was just silence on the other side of the line. "Renee? This could be catastrophic. The president herself chose that guy. If this makes it to the press… I'm gonna gather the communications team to come up with a strategy to deal with this".

"Yes. Do that", Renee agreed mumbling. "I should… I should go to the justice department".

"Right now we need you to stay focused on your lunch", George told her. "You know that".

"But... Leo...", Renee began objecting a bit weakly.

"Leo is not going anywhere", George declared firmly. "You can see him later".

"Okay. Now... I should... I should go back to the senators", Renee said stumbling with her words.

George didn't understand what was happening to Renee she didn't sound like herself. "Okay... But Renee, are you okay?". George realized Renee had already hung up. "That was odd", he commented with the receiver still in his hands. Then he looked at Jack. "Renee sounded...". He stopped to think of the right way to describe it. "Like she was on sedatives".

"She was probably just in shock", Jack speculated instantly. "Craig is like a brother to her".

**01.51.50 – 01.51.51 - 01.51.52 – 01.51.53 PM**

Leo was handcuffed in the back of the prison van. Officer Oscar Munson was driving while his partner, Clifford Bolan, sat in the passenger's seat. Agents Dale Reynolds and Glenn Park were in the back with Leo, keeping a vigilant eye on him. They were all heading to the justice department.

Glenn was just finishing a phone conversation. "Okay, Janis. I'll tell him. Thank you". The Korean agent hung up the phone and then looked at the prisoner. "Leo… We've just found out Elizabeth was killed with a HK USP Compact side gun. The autopsy also confirmed she died instantly. She didn't suffer".

The information didn't make Leo feel better. Liz was still gone. She would never come back. At that moment, all he could think about was punishing all the people who had taken her away from him. He looked back at Glenn and the bitterness showed clearly in his hazel eyes. "Anything on Laitanan's location?"

"No… but the DNA found in that soda can was definitely his. So… we'll be able to easily prove that he did it when we take him to court", Glenn told him, trying to, at least, say something positive.

Leo was not planning to take Igor Laitanan to court. But he couldn't say it. So he simply nodded along. "Good".

They all remained in silence for a moment. Leo was trying to figure out what to do. They would take him to the justice department, where they'd keep him until he could prove his innocence, which could take hours or, maybe, days. He couldn't afford wasting time. What if Igor Laitanan killed Renee or left the country or both? He could not let that happen. He had to do something soon. They had left Virginia already and were in DC. They were very close to their destination. He had to escape and he had to escape soon. There were two FBI agents with him, Dale was next to him while Greg was sitting in front of him. And he was handcuffed. But that was no problem for a man like Leon Craig. Besides, he had the element of surprise on his side.

Without giving any warning, he gave Glenn a very harsh kick in the face and, almost instantly, he used the chain of his handcuffs to chock Dale, who tried taking his gun. Leo then hit him harshly in the head with his own head and took the gun.

Almost at the same time, Glenn took his own gun and aimed it at Leo. "Leo, stop it… or I'll shoot you!".

Leo instantly put the gun in Dale's head. "I'll kill him before you can pull the trigger". After that, he yelled at the officer driving the car. "If you stop the vehicle Agent Park and Agent Reynolds will die. So keep driving and increase the speed". Officer Munson nodded and obeyed, not seeing any other choice.

"You wouldn't kill an FBI agent", Glenn then said doubtfully. In a heartbeat, Leo shot Glenn in the foot. To Glenn's immense shock, and Dale's. The Asian agent screamed in pain and dropped the gun. "Leo! You son of a bitch!"

Dale yelled at the same time. "You are a bastard!".

Leo ignored them and took Glenn's gun very quickly. "Calm down, big baby. I barely caused any damage". Next he looked at Reynolds. "Very slowly, put your gun in the floor". Dale didn't move and merely stared at Leo furiously. So Leo shouted loudly, "I'm not asking!". His Glock 23 gun was aimed at the agent's forehead. He cocked it and Dale really got scared and, very slowly, put his own Glock 23 on the floor. "Now, the handcuffs…". Reynolds hesitated, so Leo insisted yelling even more loudly, "I said now… now!".

Having no other option, Dale took a key and took off Leo's handcuffs. "Leo, be reasonable… if you don't stop this right now you'll never get out of prison".

"Shut up! And give me your handcuffs", Leo demanded. Once Leo got the handcuffs, he handcuffed Dale with the hands behind the back. Then he took his backpack while he kept pointing his gun at Park with one hand. The backpack had been taken away from him but now he could recover it. He put Reynolds's gun and Com devise in it.

Park just couldn't believe it. "You're insane", he said as Leo took his Com devise and put it in the backpack as well.

"You have completely lost your mind", Dale told Leo practically at the same time.

Leo totally disregarded the agents' remarks. "Now you, Park. Give me your handcuffs and put your hands behind your back". Glenn obeyed and Leo handcuffed him. "Now sit next to Reynolds". The Korean agent did as he was told again. Leo took the pair of handcuffs in the backpack and used it to handcuff Glenn and Dale together by the wrists., and then, With an extra pair of handcuffs, he tied the agents' legs together too.

Leo took stuff he would need: Park's cellphone and money, Reynolds's cellphone and money, and both agents' ammunition and taser guns. He put everything in his backpack.

"Now park the vehicle", Leo ordered the driver of the van. "But not in a crowded area".

"Leo, this is completely insane. You're the FBI director for God's sake!", Glenn exclaimed.

Leo gestured at Glenn's wounded foot. "I think you can consider that my resignation later".

Oscar quickly found an area with only a few people around and stopped the vehicle.

"Now give me the keys", Leo barked at him.

Oscar took the keys of the van and handed them to Leo through the net that separated them. Leo then got off the van and locked the back door. Then he headed through the front and pointed his gun at the officers. "Very slowly get down of the vehicle with your hands behind your head". Oscar got down the vehicle as he had been told. Clifford was about to get down through his own side of the van, but Leo stopped him. "Get out through this side!". Clifford then obeyed, and once they were out of the van Leo locked the front door.

A few innocent pedestrians saw Leo with a gun, yelled and ran away scared. Leo ignored it and addressed the officers. "Now… your pistols, your taser guns and cellphones. Put them slowly on the floor. If you don't do as I say I'll kill the four of you".

Officer Munson obeyed promptly. But Officer Bolan took his gun and pointed it at Leo. Without hesitation Leo coldly shot him in the shoulder, making the officer scream in pain. "You lunatic bastard!".

After that, Leo pointed his gun at Oscar. "You want to be a hero too?". The officer remained still with his hands behind his head. "Good". Leo took the officers Beretta 9000 pistols, the taser guns and the cellphones. He put those items in the backpack while poor Clifford still groaned in pain.

Leo handcuffed Oscar with the hands in the back and next he did the same to Clifford, which made the wounded officer's pain even more excruciating. Then, at gunpoint, Leo took them to the back of the van and made them sit next to the others. He then locked all doors of the van from the outside.

_Now with his Glock 23 concealed, he jogged away from the van._

_At the same time, inside the van, the agents and the officers tried in vain to break the handcuffs open. _

_In the meantime, in the white house, Jack entered his office, took a seat behind his desk and looked worried._

_At that moment, in the restaurant, Renee and the senators kept having lunch. _

Senator Caleb Holloman was talking at the time. "All I'm saying is that, if we limited ourselves to the non-invasive methods, I _might_ revise my position".

"You must be joking!", Senator Wendell Draper exclaimed outraged. "Even if the methods are not invasive…".

Caleb interrupted his colleague arguing strongly. "Doing nothing at all makes us vulnerable". Then he looked at Renee and softened his tone. "You think the president might consider limiting the law to less invasive methods?".

Renee blinked and looked at him with confusion. She felt so sleepy and dizzy. "I'm sorry. What… what were you saying?".

"Would the president be willing to consider limiting the law to less invasive methods?", Caleb repeated the question, not without concern. Renee was acting very strange.

It took Renee a while to come up with a coherent response. "Well… we would have to study the issue. I… I could ask her that".

Then Julian Foster approached the table and awkwardly addressed Renee. "Excuse me, Ms. Walker… Jack Bauer is on the phone".

Renee was surprised to hear that. "Oh". She then addressed the senators. "I'm sorry. I should take that". She left her purse and went with Julian.

"The phone is this way", Julian said and then led Renee to the back door. He was actually very nervous but played his role well enough. "Ma'am, you don't feel well… you need fresh air".

Renee nodded in agreement. She was feeling so sick. Maybe the cold air would help clear her head. She allowed Julian to take her to the alley behind the restaurant. Soon, the waiter went back to the restaurant and left her alone.

Renee leaned back against the wall, closed her eyes and took in the very cold air. But her head wasn't any clearer. She was still very dizzy and very sleepy.

Igor watched her all weakened and realized it was time to make his move. He slowly approached Renee, who kept her eyes closed, and covered her mouth with his left hand. Then she opened her eyes, horrified. He easily lifts her tiny body up with one arm while he covered her mouth.

Renee tried to scream, kick and punch Igor. But her body was not responding. She was too weak. She barely managed to give a few kicks, but she lost both of her shoes in the struggle.

Next, Igor put her in the back seat of the blue Chevrolet Volt he had stolen. And then Renee stopped struggling. She just passed out in the back seat of the car.

**01.59. 56 - 01. 59. 57 - 01.59. 58 - 01.59.00 PM**

**02 PM**

**To be continued… **

**(PLEASE, let me know what you think)**


	7. I think this is a moment for the F word

**Author's note:** Hi, everyone! I appreciate the support this humble story gets chapter after chapter. Thank you!

I'm glad you liked how intense last chapter was. Pretend there is dramatic music in the proper moments.

This chapter was incredibly difficult and challenging. It deals with Renee being kidnapped and getting hurt, and you all know how much I love Renee. Besides, I'm not sure if I wrote Jack's reaction well enough. Please, let me know.

**Important: **I think I stated before that Igor Laitanan is only a year older than Vladimir. But, please, forget that. In my imagination, Igor is seventeen years older. They only shared a father. Igor's mom was the dad's wife while Vladimir's mom was a young prostitute the dad banged.

**Dear Gigi… **thank you very much for your nice words! I'm glad you are still enjoying the story. I hope you're feeling better now. I hope you soon find yourself in perfect health.

**Thank you, Charlotte!** Thank you very much for adding this story to your fav list and for adding me as favorite writer. I'm honored.

**Disclaimer:** The show's not mine. Neither are the characters. I do own the necklace Elisha Cubert used on season 7 and the earrings Cherry Jones used on season 8. And the complete set of DVDs.

**CHAPTER 06: **

"**I think this is a moment for the F word"**

**Previously:** Leo went to a federal prison to interrogate Jacob Bukin, a gangster who knows who Igor Laitanan works for. But another gangster called Liev Mastrosov killed Bukin before he could talk. Leo was framed for the murder of Bukin and nobody believes his innocence.

Jeffrey Teller took over as FBI director and ordered Leo's detention. Leo was going to be taken to the Justice department but, while they were taking him, he managed to escape, after shooting Agent Glenn Park in the foot and officer Munson in the shoulder. He left then trapped inside the police van.

Renee had a lunch with a group of senators and they debated the Moss-Buchanan act, which would allow torture under very extreme circumstances and with certain conditions.

Igor Laitanan, in order to kidnap Renee, paid a waiter called Julian Foster to drug her. Julian agreed because he needs money for his daughter's medical treatment and because Igor threatened him. He eventually put GHB in her soup. Renee ate the soup obliviously and then began feeling sleepy and dizzy. She left the restaurant to take some fresh air and then Igor easily took her.

_The following takes place between 02.00 PM and 03.00 PM, on the day of the State of the Union Address_.

**January 29th 2019 – Wednesday**

**02.03.17 PM**

Leon Craig was so royally screwed. Everybody thought he had killed Jacob Bukin, the only lead to find Igor Laitanan. And now he looked even guiltier, since he had just shot Agent Glenn Park and Officer Oscar Munson. He had acted impulsively. He simply didn't want to waste time in the justice department. He wanted to find Laitanan. It was now too late for regrets. He had to hide and find the man who had actually killed Bukin. That man was his only lead now.

He was currently hiding in the City Museum of Washington, since nobody would look for him in a museum. He was wearing the navy blue suit he normally wore for work and a coat, so he just looked like just another well-dressed man walking around a museum.

As he pondered about his next move, he headed to the museum's cafeteria. He decided to get a coffee to look like just another innocent visitor. "Coffee, please", he ordered to one of the employees. The employee quickly left to get his coffee and then handed it to him. "How much?".

"Three dollars", the employee told him.

"Thank you". Leo gave him the money and went to sit by a table. He counted the money he had. He would need cash, since he could no longer use his credit card. Luckily, he had taken Park's wallet as well as Dale Reynolds', Munson's and Bolan's. The bad news was that they didn't carry a lot of cash. All together, he had 562 dollars. He was planning to be a fugitive until Igor Laitanan and all the people responsible for Liz's death were punished. He didn't know how long that would be. The cash probably wouldn't be enough, but it was better than nothing.

After reassessing his assets, he decided to ask for help. He didn't want to ask his friend Renee, since he didn't want to compromise her. But he knew of someone else who could help him… a man who didn't care about the rules and who would understand Leo's position better than anybody else in the world.

**02.04.36 – 02.04.37- 02.04.38- 02.04.39 PM**

**Washington DC. - The White House**

Jack Bauer was in his office meeting with Carlton Greene, Undersecretary of Defense for intelligence. Jack wished he could deal with the whole Leo-murdering-a-suspect thing, but, at the moment, unfortunately, he had other obligations.

Jack and Carlton were both a sitting by his desk and the Undersecretary was talking at that moment. "Jack, let me tell you something… Secretary Fenwick is not happy with the Moss-Buchanan Act".

"And why is that?", Jack asked even though he knew the answer.

"It's too limiting. How are we going to get the information we need if there are so many… restrictions?", Carlton asked rhetorically.

The Moss-Buchanan Act allowed _certain_ methods of interrogation but _only_ if it was first proven _beyond reasonable doubt_ that the subject had a connection with known terrorist _and_ possessed information that couldn't stop an imminent terrorist attack in US soil _and_ that all the other ways to get that information had been attempted but failed. In addition, no agent could question anybody in the field, unsupervised. People like Dwayne Fenwick and Vice President Hayworth were unhappy with the restrictions because they wanted CTU to go back to the _whatever-it-takes_ era, the _whatever-an-agent-feels-like-doing _era. Other people like Senator Wendell Draper, instead, were against the law because they didn't want enchanted methods of interrogation to be allowed, under any circumstances.

"Well… as I was telling you…", Jack began saying. But then his cellphone started making a sound that indicated an incoming message. "Excuse me, Carl". He looked at the message and raised his eyebrows. It said '_Call me from your cell. 911. Leo_'. Leo was supposed to be detained in the justice department, accused of killing Jacob Bukin. Did they let him send a text message? That didn't seem likely.

Carlton noticed instantly Jack's puzzled expression. "Is something wrong?",

Jack had the feeling that the answer was '_yes_'. He stood up promptly. "I'm sorry. I have to make a call". He began exiting the office. "Feel free to wait here. My assistant will bring you coffee". He then left the office and saw his assistant right outside. "Mrs. Carmichael, bring Mr. Greene a coffee, please". He didn't wait for an answer and began walking fast down the hallways of the west wing toward the exit of the White House.

A few seconds later, he was outside, where cellphones could be used. Because of new security measures established by Nathan O'Malley, cellphones could not longer be used inside the White House. Incoming messages could be read but not responded. It was annoying but necessary.

Feeling very concerned, Jack called the cellphone from which the message had come.

Still in the museum, Leo took the call. "Jack?"

"Yes. It's me", Jack confirmed. "What's going on? Why did you kill Jacob Bukin?".

"I didn't. I was set up", Leo affirmed, speaking softly to avoid being heard. "I'm in big trouble, Jack. They were taking me to the justice department but I escaped. Now the FBI is looking for me".

Jack couldn't believe his ears. "What? If you are innocent, why did you escape?".

With a _give-me-a-break_ tone, Leo explained himself, "Come on, you know why. I don't want to waste my time sitting in a cell while Igor Laitanan is still on the loose. And you, of all people, should understand that". There was silence on the other side of the line. "You escaped when they framed you for Ryan Burnett's and Blaine Meyer's murders even though you were innocent", Leo reminded him. There was another silence. Leo was about to lose his patience. "I swear to God, I did not kill Jacob Bukin. Why would I? I wanted to hear what he had to say".

Jack finally spoke up. "Okay. I believe you. What do you want from me?".

"The man who killed Bukin erased some footage from the prison's security camera", Leo explained talking really fast, with clear urgency. "I need your friend Chloe O'Brian to recover those files. She's the only one who can do it. And I need the files of all the known Russian gangsters in the area. I'm sure he'll be in one of them".

"Okay", Jack agreed. "She'll send you those files by e-mail. You should probably get rid of your cellphone".

"Yeah. I know", Leo spoku softly, feeling completely beat.

Then Jack thought of something else that could help Leo. "Go hide in the manor. And change your clothes. They know what you're wearing".

"I know, Jack", Leo assured him firmly. He wasn't an amateur, after all.

"Okay. Now I have to wrap up a meeting but I'll meet you in the manor as soon as I can. We'll figure something out", Jack promised him.

"Okay. See you then". Leo then disconnected the call and headed to the exit of the museum. But, right before leaving, he threw away the cellphones and the com devises he had stolen from Reynolds, Park, Bolan and Munson. Those cells and devises could be used to track him down.

**02.07.07 – 02.07.08- 02.07.09 – 02.07.10 PM**

FBI agents Glenn Park and Dale Reynolds were still trapped in the back of a prison van with officers Cliff Bolan and Oscar Munson. Glenn and Oscar were injured. The FBI agent had been shot in the foot while the police officer had been shot in the shoulder. They were both in a lot of pain. For the time being, they were using their own shirts, which they had to take off, to control the bleeding. It was too freaking cold. They felt like they were freezing. And all they could do was to cover themselves a little by putting their jackets over their shoulders.

While Glenn and Oscar silently cursed Leon Craig, Dale and Clifford tried to kick the door open. "At my count", Dale said. "Three, two, one…". Cliff and Dale then kicked the door with all their forces. But it did not good. "Again… Three, two, one…". They both kicked the door again. But, once again, it did no good. The four men were getting very frustrated.

"We should try breaking the window", Clifford then suggested.

"Okay", Dale agreed. "This one…", He said pointing at a window on the left side of the van. "At my count… three, two, one…". Dale and Cliff kicked the window several times until it finally broke. "Good… I'll go get help".

Dale then left the van and saw a woman passing by with her baby in a stroller. He stopped her. "Ma'am, I'm Agent Dale Reynolds, FBI". He flashed his badge at her. "I need to borrow your cellphone". The surprised woman stared at him for a short moment without doing anything, but then she gave him her cell. "Thank you".

_Dale called the headquarters, since he knew that number by heart._

_Meanwhile, Janis Gold was sitting by her desk working and drinking coffee._

Janis was working as usual when the phone over her desk rang. She picked up the receiver after two calls. She looked at the caller ID screen but didn't recognize the number. "FBI Dc headquarters. How may I help you?".

"Janis, it's Dale", the agent said.

Janis casually browsed through some files as she talked to the agent. "Hey, Dale Are you in the justice department already?",

"No. Listen... Leo is crazy. He shot Park and Officer Oscar Munson and then escaped", Dale informed talking fast.

Janis was absolutely stunned. "Oh, my God! How are they?".

"They'll be okay. The injuries don't seem serious", Dale told her. "But they need medical attention. We are in the corner of the C and third".

"I'll send two ambulances", Janis said promptly.

"Call Jeffrey. Tell him to call me to this number", Dale requested.

Janis quickly agreed to do just that. "Okay". She hung up and, before calling Jeffrey, she just sat there in shock. Leo had clearly lost his mind. She just couldn't believe it.

**02.09.02 – 02.09.03- 02.09.04 – 02.09.05 PM**

**Central Michael Richard Restaurant- 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue- Washington DC.**

Senators Myron Wilcox, Wesley Elbridge, Wendell Draper, Mackenzie Goddard, Sheldon Greenwood and Caleb Holloman were sitting by their restaurant table, finishing their entrances and talking while their waited for Renee Walker to come back. The White House Chief of staff had left for a moment to take a call and still hadn't returned.

"I'm up for reelection in two years. And this bill is not very popular in my state", Caleb, senior senator from New York, said with concern. Then he ate a little bit of his tartlet.

"My guys are still doing a poll", Sheldon, from Arizona, said casually. "I still don't know how my vote would affect my numbers". Next he ate some of his tomato soup.

Mac raised her eyebrows, looking apalled. "Are we really going to let _the numbers_ influence our decision?", The young senator from Florida had just been elected for the first time and as still quite naïve.

Wendell Draper then looked into Mac'a brandy-brown eyes. "Like my wife would say… Just try to get the people to vote for you and hope that, in the process, the people force you to do good things".

Sheldon then raised cheerfully his glass, which was full of merlot. "Amen".

Everyone chuckled. Mac sank in her chair, slightly bummed. After a few seconds, she looked at Renee's empty chair with concern. The chief of staff had been gone for too long. Renee had simply left to take a call from Jack Bauer. How could it take so long? The senator started to get worried. "Renee should be back already".

Wendell shrugged carelessly. "Well… she must be still on the phone". He then ate some of his entrance.

Sheldon was also not worried. "Where else?". He figured Renee's phone conversation was simply taking longer than anticipated.

Instead, Caleb frowned. He was beginning to worry too. "I don't know. She didn't seem to be feeling well". He then set his small chartreuse-green eyes on Mac. "Why don't you check the bathroom? I'll check the reception area".

The female senator nodded in agreement and headed quickly to the lady's room. There was nobody in sight. She knocked on the doors of every stall.

"Someone's here", a woman said.

Mac knew the woman was not Renee. "Sorry".

The senator bit her lower lip trying to think what to do next. She left the bathroom and ran into Caleb, who was now looking for Renee with Wendell and Wesley. "She's not anywhere. Myron and Sheldon are looking outside".

Then they spotted Julian Foster and approached him. "I'm sorry. Have you seen Renee Walker?".

Julian's heart nearly stopped. He was terrified. But he tried to act normal. "No… no… wasn't she with you?".

A waitress overheard the exchange and quickly stepped in to help out. "Julian, she left through the back door. You were with her".

Julian got even more nervous. His palms were sweating and his heart was about to come out his chest. Four pairs of eyes were on him. Four pairs of eyes belonging to senators demanding an explanation. He somehow managed to mutter one. "Oh, well… uh… she felt really sick, so, when she was done with her call, I took her outside to take some fresh air. Then I had to get back to work".

The senators accepted the explanation. next, Mac, Caleb, Wendell and Wesley went outside through the back door, since Sheldon and Myron were looking at the front. They were greeted by the very cold air of January.

The four senators looked around and saw nothing. Caleb even walked to the corner too check. But Mac suddenly saw something by the back door… a pair of beautiful black Gucci shoes. She picked them up, finding it strange to find those there. "Guys… Are these Renee's?".

"I don't know", Caleb admitted. He knew nothing of shoes and hadn't pay attention to the chief of staff's shoes.

"They could belong to anybody", Wesley pointed out.

"But why would someone leave them here?", Caleb wondered out loud.

Mac shook her head. "Nobody would. These are very expensive".

Then Myron and Sheldon appeared with concerned expressions. "She's not anywhere", the senator from Tennessee announced. He found the situation very strange "You think she left?"

"She looked really sick. Maybe she decided to go to the emergency room", Caleb suggested.

"Without her coat, her purse and without telling us?", Mac asked rhetorically. Renee had left all her stuff by the table before going to take the call.

"Or maybe there's an emergency and she went to the White House", Wesley speculated, rather lamely.

"Without her coat, her purse and without telling us?", Mac once again asked, trying to get the others to reason.

"And without her shoes?", Wendell added.

Myron felt stunned as he noticed for the first time the black shoes Mac was holding. "You found her shoes?".

Sheldon was confused and surprised by the finding of the shoes as well.

"We don't know if those are hers", Wesley rushed to tell them.

"Come on, Wes. Whose else's could they be?", Mac asked rhetorically the junior senator from Illinois. The senator from Florida knew that Renee was pretty rich. Such expensive shoes were likely to be hers.

Nobody answered her question. All the senators felt truly lost. Mac stared at the shoes she was holding. Caleb scratched the back of his head, finding everything so puzzling. Myron scratched the top of his head. Wesley took another look around, not knowing what else to do, but no new clue appeared.

Pretty soon, Caleb decided they had to do _something_. He looked at the junior senator from Florida and spoke with a grave commanding tone. "Mac, call the hospitals in the area, just in case". Then he looked at the junior senator from Illinois. "Wes, you call the police". After that, he addressed the others. "We'll take a look around the block".

"Let's get our coats first", a shivering Sheldon suggested.

All the senators nodded in agreement and hurried to get into the restaurant. As they got their coats, Caleb suddenly thought of something. "Does anyone know what car she drives? We should check if it's around".

"I think it's a Light grey Audi", Wendell replied. "I saw it the last time she and I had lunch".

"Okay. Let's look for it", the Jewish senator suggested. Next he looked at Sheldon. "You ask the manager and the employees if they saw anything".

"Okay", the senior senator from Arizona agreed promptly with a nod.

_Then the senators left to do as they had agreed. _

_Simultaneously, Clifford Bolan tried to stop the bleeding in Oscar Munson's shoulder as they waited for an ambulance. _

_At that moment, Leo was buying burn cellphones he would need before going to Renee's house._

_At the same time, after wrapping up his meeting with Carlson, Jack was now heading to the parking lot of the White House. _

**02.15.01 – 02.15.02- 02.15.03 – 02.15.04 PM**

**02.18.15 – 02.18.16- 02.18.17 – 02.18.18 PM**

_Several police cars and two ambulances finally arrived to the place where Dale, Cliff, Oscar and Glenn were waiting for help. _

_Right then, Leo was walking down the streets, heading to a metro station and looking nervously around. _

_Meanwhile, Jack was driving his vehicle, heading to the manor to meet Leo. _

_At that moment, Caleb met Wendell and Myron Wilcox by the front door of the restaurant. They had split up to look for Renee. _

"We haven't seen her", Myron announced.

"I saw her car parked a block away", Caleb informed the others.

"She wouldn't leave without her car", Wendell pointed out.

Senator Myron Wilcox shook his head. "Highly unlikely".

At that moment, Mac appeared and overhead them. "Her car is here?"

"Yeah", Caleb confirmed, feeling genuinely concerned.

"Well, she's not in any hospital", Mac told them, surprising no one.

Then Sheldon joined them. "Nobody saw anything. She was last seen by that waiter who took her outside".

Then Wesley appeared, looking clearly disappointed, with news of his own. "The police will do nothing. She has to be missing for forty eight hours".

The young senator from Florida was surprised. "Did you tell them who she is?",

"Yes. And they don't care", Wesley replied. He then looked at the others feeling lost. "What are we gonna do?".

"We should call her fiancé", Wendell suggested. "Jack Bauer", he then added for those who didn't know. Nobody argued with his idea. So the senior senator from Virginia quickly grabbed his cellphone and then he looked at the others, "Does someone have his phone number?".

The senator from Tennessee promptly stepped in. "He gave it to me when we talked about the Homeland Security budget". Myron then looked for Jack's number in the memory of his cell phone. "I got it", he said as he pressed the button to call the national security advisor.

**02.20.07 – 02.20.08- 02.20.09 – 02.20.10 PM**

Jack was driving his black Ford mustang, heading to the Walker manor to meet Leo there. Suddenly his cellphone began ringing. He kept driving with one hand as he took the call with the other one. "Bauer".

"Mr. Bauer? This is Senator Wilcox", Myron said.

Jack was surprised and a bit puzzled. Why would the senator call him? "Senator… hi. How may I help you?".

Myron didn't say anything at first. He knew the news wouldn't be well received. '_Don't kill the messenger_', he thought. Then he informed Jack about the situation. "This is about your fiancée. We were having lunch with her… me and other senators, when she, uh…". He paused awkwardly not knowing exactly how to put it.

Jack was already very much alarmed. "She what? What's going on?".

"She disappeared", the senator from Tennessee finally said.

Jack then got even more alarmed, if that was possible. "What?".

"She was feeling sick so she went out to take some fresh air. But she never came back. Her purse, coat and car are still here and we found her shoes in the back alley", Myron explained.

Jack was in deep shock. He nearly crashed with another vehicle, so he decided to park the car for a moment. He stopped driving and looked distraught. He couldn't believe what was going on. Renee had disappeared. Igor Laitanan must have kidnapped her. What if she was dead already? He felt suddenly terrified.

"We need to call the police", Jack declared with his voice about to break.

"We already have. They won't do anything because she has to be missing for 48 hours", Myron said sorrowfully.

Jack then yelled very angrily. "Damn it! She doesn't have 48 hours! She may not have 48 minutes". He was really on the verge of a nervous breakdown. But then he made a big effort and calmed down, realizing it was not the senator's fault. "I'm sorry, senator".

"It's okay, son. I understand", the senator reassured kindly.

Jack instantly went into rescue mode. Obviously had to search for Renee himself and he had to start from the restaurant. "Senator, stay where you are. I'm on my way".

"Okay", the senator agreed. "We are at 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, Central Michael Richard Restaurant".

"Thank you. I'll be right there". Jack then disconnected the call and then quickly decided to call Leo, one person who would definitely help find Renee. But Leo never picked up the phone. Jack realized then that Renee's friend had gotten rid of the phones to avoid being tracked down.

He very violently hit the steering wheel. "Damn it!".

He was so scared. His hands were shaking. What if Igor killed her? What if that Russian bastard had already killed her? Jack couldn't bear the mere thought of losing her.

With determination and anger growing inside him, he turned on the vehicle and headed to the restaurant.

As he drove, he grabbed his cellphone. He decided to call Chloe to ask for help. And, after that, he would have to call the White House and the FBI.

**02.22.10 – 02.22.11- 02.22.12 – 02.22.13 PM**

**Arlington, Virginia - Wayne Street and Key Boulevard**

Igor Laitanan parked the blue Chevrolet he had stolen in front of the house he was using for the day. It was a grey brick house with a black roof. It had been specially chosen for him by a mysterious woman called Brooke, who had chosen it because, according to her research, the owners were in Europe and it had a big music studio with sound-proof walls. Nobody would hear Renee Walker screaming.

He got out of the vehicle and went to get Renee Walker, who was lying unconscious on the back seat of the car, still knocked down because of the GHB Julian Foster had given her. She was covered with a blue blanket, so nobody would see her. Still covered, he scooped her up, and quickly got in the house with her in his arms.

He went upstairs and entered the music studio. He put her in one of the small red love seats. He opened the backpack he had left in the studio and took two pairs of handcuffs. He first handcuffed her with her arms in front of her and then tied her legs tightly together with another set of handcuffs. Unfortunately, for him, there was no pole to tie her to. But just handcuffing her would have to do.

The obese Russian watched her unconscious and his lips curbed up in a tiny smile. He then ran his fingers through her dark auburn hair and put a lock of it behind her ear. He also stroked her cheek, which was still bruised because he had hit her with a car just a month before. Next he took of her Calvin Clain granite-grey blazer. He observed how her side, her delicate left shoulder and one of her arms were bruised too. He smiled a little with satisfaction. After that, he took off her white shirt. He took a moment to look at the rose tattooed in one of her breasts.

Finally, he took of the granite-grey skirt that matched the blazer. He carelessly left them on the floor. Just like that, Renee was left wearing nothing but cream-colored underwear and her pantyhose. Soon, he removed the pantyhose He ran his big hand through her bare leg and enjoyed touching her soft skin.

But he wasn't going to take her… yet. She was still unconscious and, to him, there was no fun in that because he wouldn't see her screaming in horror. He was removing her clothes merely to freak her out. He also took her gorgeous engagement ring and her silver necklace with a heart that said her name. He put those in the pocket of his shirt knowing she would go nuts.

Then Igor sat on the other red loveseat, folded his arms across his immense belly and frowned unhappily. He had stupidly forgotten to buy smelling salts. He was angry with himself for that. Now he would have to wait until the effect passed naturally. He just couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she woke up and found herself almost naked.

**02.25.03 – 02.25.04- 02.25.05 – 02.25.06 PM**

**Baltimore - Luxurious apartment – Calvert St. and Orleans St. **

Andrian Jacobi was in his apartment having a really good time. He was with two blonde girls that were identical twins. At the moment, they were giving him a lap dance wearing sexy underwear and, afterwards, he would have sex with them. Having sex with twins had always been his fantasy. And he _always_ got what he wanted.

"I want to see you two make out", he suddenly told the girls.

The twenty year old girls smiled seductively at him. That guy was so not original. They had been asked the same thing millionths of times. And they didn't have a problem with it. The Russian gangster paid well. So the twins first stared into each other's eyes and then one of them put a hand behind the other's head and kissed her.

Andrian smiled happily as he saw them making out. He was getting very turned on.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Unhappy with the intrusion, Andrian put on a robe, since he was in his underwear, and went to open the door. First, he looked through the peephole and saw that it was his father, Ivan. The young gangster then opened the door immediately. "Father".

Ivan walked into the apartment and saw the sexy twins in their underwear. He frowned angrily. Sadly, he wasn't even surprised that his son was wasting time in the middle of such important day. He was simply upset. "The party is over, girls", he barked with a very commanding tone.

Andrian definitely didn't want the party to end. "Dad…".

"The party is over", Ivan repeated with a clear _don't-argue_ tone.

The twins quickly began getting dressed. As they got dressed, Andrian poured a glass of Vodka for him and for his father while le talked to the twins. "I'm sorry, girls. I'll call you tomorrow".

"We'll be looking forward to it, hansom", one of the sisters told him, and then she gave the very attractive young man a quick kiss on the lips.

The other sister kissed Andrian on the lips too and, soon, they were both gone.

Once alone with his son, Ivan stared as him angrily. His glacier-blue eyes looked colder than ever. He walked towards Andrian and, without any warning, slapped him harshly across the face. The younger gangster put a hand over his own cheek and looked hurt, while Ivan kept yelling at him. "You can't party on a day like this! We are in the middle of a very important operation. The most important one!". He furiously slapped the young man again.

Andrian caressed his own cheek again in pain. But then he looked up stoically and attempted to face his dad with a smug tone. "I was having fun because everything is under control. Laitanan has Walker and Craig was detained for the murder of Jacob Bukin".

Ivan slapped him yet again. "Idiot! Craig has escaped!".

Andrian was absolutely stunned. "What?".

"He shot an agent and an officer. That man is clearly not in his right mind", Ivan told him with concern, and then he drank his shot of vodka to try to calm down.

Andrian was then slightly concerned too. "What do you think will be his next move?".

Ivan didn't even have to think about it. "He'll try to rescue Walker and he'll kill Laitanan. And I don't need to remind you that if Walker doesn't die…".

Andrian rapidly completed the dad's phrase, "Joseph will be furious".

Ivan face became very somber. "And, believe me, son… you don't want that man to be furious at you". He shook his head with a warning in his eyes and then drank more vodka. Subsequently, he mused out loud. "What _really_ worries me is that Craig will join forces with Jack Bauer. They'd want to avenge Walker's death".

"But they'll never know we had anything to do with that", Andrian assured his dad, showing his classical over-confidence. "They'll kill Laitanan. That's good for us. Saves us the trouble of killing that fat bastard ourselves".

Ivan didn't agree with his son. "No. We need those two dead as soon as possible". He then took his cellphone and dialed Liev Matrosov´s number.

**02.28.50 – 02.28.51- 02.28.52 – 02.28.53 PM**

Liev had already returned to his apartment and was now playing poker. As usual, he was playing with Akim Yudasi and Vadim Dronov, his two henchmen. They were surrounded by their goons, Demin Lisetkin, Kirill Losev and the Gudovich brothers, Iosef and Seymon. The only women in the apartment were Zara Meitus and Kyra Markova, two teenagers Liev and Vadim used for entertainment and to clean everything up.

The men were playing and drinking while the women cleaned up the apartment. The leader of the gang was focused on the game. He looked at his cards and realized he had a good hand, so he placed a bet. "I'm in".

Right then, Liev´s cell began ringing. He looked at the caller ID screen and it said 'IJ.' Ivan Jacobi was the boss of them all, so Liev instantly took the call and greeted the caller respectfully. "Ivan Semyonovich".

Ivan didn't waste a second with pleasantries. "We have a problem. Leon Craig was going to be taken to the justice department, but he escaped".

Liev raised his eyebrows slightly. "He did? Good. Now he'll look guiltier".

"Yes", Ivan conceded. "But we need him dead".

Liev didn't doubt for a second that he could take Leon Craig. "Understood".

"We also need Jack Bauer dead", Ivan added coldly.

Liev widened his granite-grey eyes with surprise. "Jack Bauer?. The same Jack Bauer who singlehandedly killed Sergei Bazhaev´s entire gang?".

"Yes", Ivan replied dryly.

"Not a problem", Liev arrogantly assured his boss.

"I'll send you Bauer's file", the boss simply told him. "And make sure nobody finds Craig's body. It should look like he left the country. And try to make Bauer's death look like an unfortunate accident if you can. Or blame it on Laitanan, whatever you prefer".

"All right", Liev agreed and then hung up the phone. He then looked at the other men and, showing no emotions, explained the situation. "We have to take care of two men. Leon Craig and Jack Bauer".

"I can handle that", Akim stated firmly. "I'll go with Seymon and Iosef".

"I want to do it myself", Liev said. He knew just how important the job was. He wanted to handle it personally.

"But I can do it", Akim assured him with confidence.

"Liev, you wanted to check that apartment in Maryland for the game and vet the guests", Vadin reminded him.

"True", Liev acknowledged. He paused to think what to do. He was in a serious predicament. He pondered about the situation for a moment and, finally, he made up his mind. "Okay, Akim. Go with Iosef and Seymon. Take Kirill with you too. So it'll be four against two".

"It's going to be easy", Akim declared.

Liev was not happy with his henchman's overconfidence. He pulverized Akim with his look and lectured him with a very serious expression and tone. "Don't underestimate Bauer and Craig! Bauer more than once killed several men at the same time all by himself. And Craig, while undercover with Igor Laitanan´s gang, was once captured by a rival gang and killed five men to escape. And he didn't even have a gun. He sliced all their throats with a piece of glass. After that people began calling him _Alek_ _Cutthroat_".

All the other men looked worried then. Akim was now concerned but still tried to remain confident. "We will have to be extremely careful then. But we can do this. I have no doubt in my mind that we can defeat them".

"Just remember not to underestimate the enemy", Liev advised very seriously.

_Liev then took a shot of vodka and looked at his men worriedly. _

_Meanwhile, Igor was watching intensively at Renee lying unconscious on the loveseat. _

_At the same time, Jack was still driving his black Ford mustang like a maniac and talking over his cellphone at the same time. _

_At that moment, Leo was in the subway, heading to the manor. He was covering his face with a newspaper he was pretending to read. _

**02.31.13 – 02.31.14- 02.31.15 – 02.31.16 PM**

**02.33.01 – 02.33.02- 02.33.03 – 02.33.04 PM**

_Igor Laitanan kept watching at Renee's unconscious figure. But now he was also eating chips as he stared at Renee like she was a TV show. _

_In the meantime, Leo was still in the subway. He anxiously looked at his wristwatch. It was taking him forever to arrive to Bethesda. _

_Simultaneously, many police officers and FBI agents were sweeping the DC, looking for Leo. . _

_Right then, Jack parked his vehicle near the restaurant. . _

**02.33.55 – 02.33.56- 02.33.57 – 02.33.58 PM**

**Washington DC. - The White House **

In the Roosevelt room, Caldwell Coleman was working hard on the state of the union along with his deputy Lynette Lockhart, the media director, Payton Whitford, and President Taylor. Ethan Kanin was also there as one of the president's senior advisors.

Allison was rehearsing the speech reading it out loud while the others observed her attentively. "Lasting peace has to be born from the genuine desire of a world without war that all parties must share. At this moment, there is such desire…". She stopped and looked away from the papers to Caldwell. "We need to change that part".

"Yeah. I've just realized that", Caldwell conceded nervously scratching the back of his head, looking beat.

"I can't claim there is desire of a world without war when Russia and Kamistan might start War World III over the oil in Lithuania", Allison rightly pointed out. Nobody argued with her.

Immediately Caldwell looked at his deputy and gave her an order. "Lynette, rewrite that section". Lynette nodded in agreement and dutifully began doing as her boss had said.

At that moment, George Sullivan came into the room looking dazed. He had to give very bad news and he hadn't finished processing that news himself.

Allison was confused because George was just standing there saying nothing. "George?".

George's steel-blue eyes met then the president's baby-blue ones. He finally made himself strong and delivered the bad news. "Madam President, I have just gotten a call from Jack Bauer. It seems to be that Renee Walker has been kidnapped by a gangster called Igor Laitanan".

Everyone in the room knew who Laitanan was because that Russian had been responsible for the murders of the day. Allison leaned against the table for support looking distraught. Lynnette covered her mouth in horror. Payton kept blinking quickly, completely stunned.

Caldwell simply couldn't believe it. "What?",

Ethan was clearly very alarmed. His electric-blue eyes were widened like plates. "That's the man who killed Agent Stockard and Jason Pillar". Laitanan was a ruthless murderer. Renee could be dead already. The first gentleman looked at the president and saw that his wife's pale skin was even paler and she was in too much shock to speak. Then he looked back at George. "Do they think he killed her already?".

"No", George replied with a firm tone. "If he had he would have left the body right in the place". .

Finally, Allison could hide her emotions and talk in a commanding voice. "Call the FBI. Their only priority has to be finding Renee and arresting that bastard".

George then bit his lower lip and looked down awkwardly. "Uh, the FBI… right now every FBI agent in the area is busy looking for Leon Craig. He has escaped after shooting an officer and an agent".

Everyone was even more shocked. The president quickly overcame her astonishment and kept giving orders. "Tell the new director to keep some men in the search of Leon Craig. The rest of them have to look for Renee and arrest Laitanan. The police has to look for her as well".

"They won't do it", George informed. "She needs to be missing for 48 hours for them to do anything".

Allison frowned angrily. "Tell them that the President of the United States wants them to start searching for the Chief of staff right away".

George promptly agreed. "Yes, ma'am".

"And tell the FBI to send an alert to every airport and bus station in the area", the president added.

George nodded in agreement.

Caldwell then spoke up. "Ma'am, we'll prepare a statement and make sure her picture is shown in every news channel".

"Yes. Do that soon", the president commanded firmly. "You don't even have to show me the statement".

"Ma'am…", Payton spoke timidly. The young media director was the newest member of the team, so she was still nervous when she had to talk to the president. "How do you want to handle the Craig issue?".

Allison knew there was only one choice. "We have to come clean".

Nobody disagreed with her. "We could say something like… The FBI director was accused of the murder of an imprisoned Russian gangster and then escaped while being taken into custody", Caldwell suggested.

Then George added a suggestion of his own. "As we work to bring him into custody and solve the murder case, Agent Jeffrey Teller is the FBI acting director".

"Yeah". Caldwell nodded approvingly and wrote '_Jeffrey Teller_' on a notepad.

"But don't release the name of the gangster or in which case Craig was working on", Allison said. "We don't want whoever is behind the murders of Agent Stockard and Pillar to know what leads we have… or had". Nobody argued with that.

"I'll make sure our statement is coordinated with the bureau's", Lynnette offered.

"Thank you", Allison said to everybody, concluding the meeting.

After saying "Thank you, Madam President", "Thank you", "Thank you, Ma'am" practically at the same time, George, Lynnette, Payton and Caldwell rapidly left to do their jobs.

Once she was alone with her husband, Allison's eyes moistened. She felt so scared and helpless. She sat down and rested her back against the back of the chair feeling crushed and helpless.

Ethan sat across from his wife and tried to reassure her. "She's going to be fine, Allison".

"God only knows what he's doing to her". Allison's voice was close to breaking as she spoke. The president was about to cry. "She had an accident just a month ago, her bruises are not even gone, for Christ's sake, and now _this _happens to her…". Her eyes were getting wet with tears. She blinked then away and looked down.

"I know. It's not fair that she has to suffer so much", Ethan said, voicing Allison's thoughts.

Allison shook her head, feeling angry with the world. "It's not fair".

Ethan simply took her hands between his, giving the president his loving support as always.

**02.37.05 – 02.37.06- 02.37.07 – 02.37.08 PM**

**Central Michael Richard Restaurant- 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue- Washington DC.**

Jack walked into the restaurant and took off his heavy coat. Then he looked around until he spotted the senators who were the last people to see Renee. They were gathered around the table. There were also two suited men Jack didn't recognize at first talking to the senators. Both men had brown hair and brown eyes, but one was taller and was starting to bald.

The taller guy was taking notes as he questioned the senators. "And what was Ms. Walker wearing the last time you saw her?".

Senator Wendell Draper was taken aback by the question. "I… I don't remember". The male senators exchanged confused looks. They never paid attention to clothes.

Soon enough, Senator Mac Goddard stepped up to answer the agent's question. "A navy blue skirt suit, an Armani, and a white shirt.".

"And these things belong to Ms. Walker as well?", the shorter agent asked while pointing at a black coat and a purse that were abandoned over a chair. He was holding a plastic bag with Renee's shoes.

"Yes", Wendell confirmed.

"She didn't take anything with her", Mac added.

At that moment, Wendell noticed Jack and recognized him instantly. His features darkened. He wasn't surprised to see him but he simply didn't like it. He didn't like Jack because the former CTU agent had tortured people and gotten away with it. "Bauer".

Very quickly, the taller balding agent turned around to face Jack and introduced himself politely. "Mr. Bauer… I don't know if you remember me. I'm agent Lenny Charters and this is my partner Agent Brandon Turner. We met the day you collaborated with us".

"I remember", Jack assured both men grumpily. He had no time to be friendly. He practically barked at the innocent agents. "What are you doing to find Renee?".

"We sent alerts to all the airports and bus stations in the area, like the president requested", Lenny explained.

"What about security cameras?". Jack looked around and searched for security cameras but didn't find any.

Lenny was the one who answered the question. "There's one by the cashier and one at the main door".

"But Ms. Walker was last seen leaving the restaurant through the back door", Brandon added.

"How many agents are looking for her?", Jack asked with a somewhat rude tone.

"We really can't discuss more details of the case", Lenny said awkwardly.

Jack tried his best to be patient. "Look, I'm her fiancé, and I was a CTU agent. I can help".

"The best you can do to help us", Lenny said gently. "Is to tell us everything you know".

Jack wasn't happy with the idea of being kept in the sidelines. However, it was true that the FBI agents had to have all the information. "Renee was kidnapped by Igor Laitanan. He stalked her for months and sent her death threats".

Lenny was mildly surprised. "The Russian gangster who's wanted for the murders of Agent Stockard and Jason Pillar?", Apparently those cases were somehow related to Renee's disappearance.

Mac Goddard was overhearing everything and widened her brandy-brown eyes in horror. "Why would he kidnap the chief of staff?",

Jack obviously couldn't tell the whole story, so he told her only part of the truth. "Renee once took part in a CTU operation that resulted in the death of Laitanan's brother, another mobster. He must be up for revenge".

Mac covered her mouth in shock. "Oh, my God".

"My goodness", Senator Caleb Holloman exclaimed practically at the same time.

Wendell shook his head sadly. "That poor girl".

"What can we do to help?", Senator Myron Wilcox offered nicely.

"You can tell me if you saw this man". Jack then showed the senators a photo of Igor Laitanan he had in his cellphone. "Have you seen him lurking around this restaurant today?".

Caleb took the cell and examined the photo. "No. I'm sorry". Then he showed it to Mackenzie.

"Me neither", the female senator said. Next he gave the cellphone to Senator Draper, who shook his head too.

Draper handed the phone to Sheldon Greenwood, who looked at the picture and shook his head "Never seen him".

"Me neither", Senator Wilcox said after looking at the picture too. Then he showed it to Wesley Elbridge, who shook his head sorrowfully as well.

Finally, the cellphone got back to Jack, who felt dismayed.

"She didn't say anything to you when you called her?", the female senator from Florida asked, recalling that Renee had gotten a call from Jack right before being abducted.

Jack looked at the young senator with confusion. "When I called her?".

"Yes. The waiter said she had a call from you, so she went to take it", Mackenzie explained, also feeling perplexed because she didn't understand the reason for Jack's confusion.

Jack had experience with fake calls and found the whole thing disgusting.

"After that she went to take fresh air because she felt sick", the Jewish senator from New York added.

Jack then remembered the senator had mentioned something about Renee feeling sick before. That fact puzzled him. "Sick how?".

Caleb didn't know quite well how to put it. "She seemed… Sleepy and confused".

"Dizzy", Mac added.

Jack was baffled. "That doesn't make any sense. I saw her just a couple of hours ago. She was in perfect health".

Mac shrugged, not having an explanation for that. Caleb scratched the back of his head thoughtfully.

After that Jack decided to question the waiter who had falsely told Renee her fiancé was calling her. He first looked at the senators before him. "Which waiter was it?".

Mac then pointed at Julian Foster, a hansom man in his early thirties with short straight chocolate hair, a lock beard and prominent hazel eyes. "That one".

At that moment, the waiter was taking an order. As soon as the young man finished and was heading to the kitchen, Jack stood in front of him and stopped him with an angry expression. "I want to talk to you".

Julian startled, a bit scared by the angry man. "Oh… okay".

"Why did you tell Renee Walker that I was calling her?", Jack asked brusquely and rather loudly.

"Oh, well…", Julian mumbled, scratching his chin, searching a excuse in his brain.

The manager of the restaurant saw the scene and approached them quickly. He assumed the man questioning Julian was another FBI agent investigating Renee Walker disappearance. "I'm sorry, sir. You can't question the staff here. The costumers want to enjoy their lunch in peace".

"This man knows something about the kidnapping of _the White House Chief of staff_", Jack protested, purposely highlighting Renee's title to get the manager to cooperate.

The manager paused a brief moment to think and then gave in. "You can question whoever you want in my office. But don't disturb the customers".

"Fine", Jack accepted grumpily.

"Julian, go to my office and answer the agents' questions", the manager ordered. Then he looked at Brandon and Lenny, who had introduced them selves as agents earlier. He nodded at them.

Julian got extremely nervous. But he tried not to show it. "Uh, okay. This is the order for table 16", The waiter gave his boss a small bloc. He failed to act cool and his hand trembled slightly.

The manager took the bloc and nodded. "I'll take care of it".

It was at that moment that Lenny Charters stepped in and stopped Jack dryly before he could go to the manager's office. "You are not questioning anybody, Mr. Bauer. You're not an agent anymore".

"Renee is my fiancée", Jack argued instantly with a very sharp tone. "A Russian gangster is hurting her right now. If you think I'm just gonna sit and do nothing you're out of you mind".

"You can watch the interrogation", Lenny acceded rather reluctantly. "Just watch".

Then, Julian, Jack, Lenny and Brandon headed to the manager's office. Julian looked like someone about to be executed. After entering the office, they made him sit down. He was terrified.

"Okay, Mr.….", Lenny began talking and stopped, since he didn't know Julian's last name.

"Foster", Julian said. Agent Turner soon wrote down the waiter's full name.

"Mr. Foster, first of all… have you seen this man?", Lenny asked, while showing him a picture of Igor Laitanan.

"Never", Julian lied nervously and shook his head. He swallowed and failed to act casual.

"He's lying", Jack burped out. He had noticed Julian's fearful and nervous attitude. His experience was telling him the young waiter was hiding something.

"I'm not!", Julian protested automatically. But he couldn't hide his nervousness.

Lenny narrowed his eyes with suspicion. "I think you're lying too". Julian shook his head and a drop of sweat was seen in the waiter's temple. Lenny noticed it. "You're lying. When did you see him? Where?".

Brandon tried with a different question. "Why did you tell Ms. Walker that her fiancé was calling her?".

Julian thought of an excuse and then mumbled the answer, "That… uh, that's what they told me. The man calling her said he was Jack Bauer".

Lenny then addressed his partner. "Ask the receptionist if Renee got a call. If she did, we have to trace it". Brandon nodded and left to do so. Lenny looked back at Julian. "And this man who you claim called Ms. Walker… did he have a Russian accent?". Julian was terrified and didn't reply at first. Lenny insisted. "Did he have a Russian accent or any accent for that matter?".

"He sounded American", Julian lied.

Lenny didn't quite believe him because of Julian's demeanor. But he continued the questioning. "Now, Mr. Foster, the other man… We know you saw him. You should cooperate and tell us all you know about him".

"I know nothing", Julian lied once again.

"Mr. Foster, if you cooperate we'll make things easier for you", Lenny promised.

Julian didn't cave in. He was too scared since that Russian would kill his family. "I want my lawyer".

Jack was even more furious. He approached Julian in a threatening way. "Listen to me, stupid bastard, no lawyer can protect you from me. If you don't help us and Renee turns out dead I'll torture you in ways you don't even know exist… and then I'll kill you".

Lenny then decided not to stop him and to use Jack Bauer to get to Igor and Renee. "He's serious, Mr. Foster", he said somberly with a warning in his voice. "This man can be a beast".

Julian looked a little bit scared. But he thought the men were lying.

Right then, Brandon walked into the office. "Receptionist said there was no call for Ms. Walker".

Jack gave the waiter a furious look. He then forced him to stand up. "That's it! You're gonna start talking now!".

Brandon was about to stop Jack, but Lenny put a hand in front of his partner's chest to stop him.

Finally, Julian cracked. "He made me do it!".

"Who?", Jack yelled the question, suspecting the answer.

"The man in the picture", Julian said. "He told me to give Ms. Walker a drug and take her outside".

Jack was lived. "You drugged her?",

"He gave me money… my little girl is very sick and I can't afford the treatment. Besides, he said he would kill my family if I backed down", Julian argued.

Then Lenny spoke calmly. "Mr. Foster, you are already accessory to Renee Walker's kidnapping. If she dies, you'll be accessory to murder. The only way to help your self is helping us find her".

"Tell us what you know about the man before it's too late", Brandon ordered patiently.

"He's gonna kill me and my family", Julian whined pathetically.

Jack then pushed him against a wall. "_I'm_ gonna kill you and your family if she dies, you little bastard! And I know dozens of painful ways to kill a person".

Julian was too terrified of Jack and caved in. "He was driving a blue Chevrolet Volt. I swear that's all I know".

Jack brusquely let the guy go and then whispered in his ear. "Remember this, if she dies I'm gonna kill _all_ the people responsible for it. That includes _you_. Wherever you hide… I will find you". Then he pushed the waiter towards Lenny.

Lenny harshly grabbed Julian by the arm. "Come on, we need to take you to the headquarters".

"I'll tell Jeffrey we are looking for a blue Chevrolet Volt"; Brandon offered.

Once Jack was left alone in the office, he took his cellphone and called Chloe O'Brian.

Chloe was at CTU DC., sitting by her desk, doing her job as usual. At that moment, the phone rang and she instantly took the call. "O'Brian".

"Chloe, it's me", Jack whispered hastily.

"Jack! Do you know anything about Renee?", Chloe asked, genuinely concerned.

"Yes. Igor Laitanan was driving a blue Chevrolet Volt", Jack told her.

Chloe was extremely disappointed. "There are hundredths of blue Chevrolets!",

"But only one of them was around 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue at 2 PM", Jack pointed out talking really fast.

Chloe realized what Jack meant and spoke to him talking hastily as well. "Okay. I'll use the traffic cams to find a blue Chevrolet that's near 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue around 2 PM and I'll follow it".

"Thank you". Right after thanking his dear friend Jack disconnected the call.

He sat on a chair and tried to calm down, taking deep breaths. He didn't know what else to do. He didn't know where to look for her. He felt lost and terrified. What if Renee was dead already? He couldn't bear to lose her.

**02.46.24 – 02.46.25- 02.46.26 – 02.26.27 PM**

**Bethesda, Maryland – Walker-Bauer Manor **

Leo finally arrived to Renee's manor. He easily forced the door open and turned off the alarm. He was the only one who knew the alarm code besides Jack and Renee.

He left his heavy and big backpack over the pine-green velvet couch in the living room. Then he headed upstairs. He couldn't help but to glance at the pictures hanging in the gallery. His eyes fixated on a particular photo of Renee, himself and Liz in the Oval Office with President Taylor. He remembered the day vividly. It was the day he and Liz met the president for the first time. Liz was excited like a little kid and took five hours to choose the pale-blue skirt suit she was wearing in the photo. That color went perfectly with her blonde curls and her sapphire-blue eyes.

He sniffed, but tried hard not to break down in sobs. He had to focus on avenging her death and not in the indescribable pain he was feeling.

Soon he entered the master bedroom. He needed to borrow some of Jack's clothes. Leo was still wearing a navy-blue suit with an olive-green tie he had worn for work, and the FBI agents knew that was what he was wearing, so he had to change clothes.

He took a pair of jeans, a white long-sleeve sweater and a pale-green sweater, along with a navy-blue coat, since it was cold outside. While he was at it, he took a winter hat and a scarf as well. It would help him hide. He also borrowed a pair of comfortable sneakers.

He got changed as quickly as humanly possible and went downstairs.

He then decided to call Jack to ask why it was taking him so long to get to the manor. He took one of the throwaway cellphones he had recently purchased and called him.

Jack was now pacing around the office, trying to think what he could do. His cellphone rang and he instantly took the call. "Renee?"

Leo was confused by how Jack answered the phone. "No. It's Leo".

"Leo, listen… Laitanan has Renee", Jack informed with his voice almost breaking.

Leo's features darkened. "Do you know _where_ he has her?".

"Not yet", Jack said. "But we know what car he was using a blue Chevrolet. Chloe is trying to find it".

"Good". Leo got moving as he spoke. He went to Renee's basement/panic room to get some necessary supplies. "Where was she last seen?".

"Central Michael Richards Restaurant, 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue", Jack replied.

"I'll meet you there as soon as I can", Leo promised as he grabbed from the basement ammunitions for the guns he had stolen from the FBI agents and the officers. He put them in his backpack.

Jack swallowed the lump of angst in his throat and tried to fight the tears. "What if it's too late?"

"It's not. She's alive", Leo assured confidently as he took a big butcher knife and put it in his backpack too.

Jack really wanted to believe that was true. But he wasn't so optimistic. "How do you know that?".

Leo then stopped taking things and spoke deadly serious. "Because I know Igor. He'll take time to enjoy it".

That didn't make Jack feel any better. He didn't want to even think about the kind of things that bastard could be doing to her. Feeling absolutely helpless, hi harshly hit a wall to unleash his frustration. "Damn it!".

"I think this is a moment for the F word", Leo declared somberly. There was a pause. Then Leo decided to end the call and get moving. "I'll see you as soon as I can".

He hung up. Next he grabbed a couple of smoke grenades and a couple of real grenades. After that, he took a bottle of kerosene Renee used as insecticide and headed to the kitchen to get a box of matches. He looked at the bottle and the matches and a tiny smile appeared on his lips.

Finally, once he finished collecting the items he would need for his revenge, he left the house.

He realized he would have to steal a car because the subway would take too long. Luckily, he spotted an unattended green Toyota Prius parked across Renee's manor. He got in it and deactivated the alarm effortlessly.

_Then Leo began driving the vehicle in direction to the restaurant. _

_At the same time, Julian was in the back seat of a FBI car, looking sadly through the window as Lenny drove him to the FBI headquarters. _

_At that moment, the senators were leaving the restaurant. _

_In the meantime, Allison Taylor and Ethan Kanin were in the Oval office. She was looking at the news in the TV she had there. A picture of Renee popped up in the screen with a caption that read 'Breaking news: Chief of Staff kidnapped'. _

**02.49.08 – 02.49.09- 02.49.10 – 02.49.11 PM**

**02.51.41 – 02.51.42- 02.51.43 – 02.51.44 PM**

_Leo was still driving the green Toyota Prius like a maniac. _

_Right then, in the White House, George and the people from communications were working in his office. _

_Meanwhile, Allison and Ethan were sitting by a couch, praying together. _

_Simultaneously, inArlington, Virginia, Igor Laitanan was in the music studio, now kneeling by Renee's side and stroking her long dark-auburn hair. _

While Igor stroke her hair with one hand and held a HK USP Compact side gun with the other, Renee began to stir. She blinked and started to wake up without recollection of what had happened. She just had a strong headache. But she widened her pastel-blue eyes in total horror as she saw _him_. It was Igor Laitanan, the half brother of her worst enemy. His heavy lidded steel-blue eyes were identical to Vladimir's, which completely freaked her out. And definitely the worst part was that she was only wearing her underwear.

Igor automatically covered her thin delicate mouth with his big dirty left hand. "Don't yell. There is no point. This room is sound proof. Nobody will hear you".

Renee took a look around to become aware of her surroundings. It was a somewhat large music studio, effectively with sound-proof walls. There were two electric guitars on the floor and two small red love seats. She was lying on one of them.

Instinctively, she stood up and knocked down the side gun from Igor's big hands, by hitting it with her two fists together, since she was handcuffed. Igor dropped the gun but, before Renee could make another move, he slapped her harshly in the face with one hand and restrained her movements by grabbing her arm with the other. He slapped her across the face again. "Don't move", he yelled as he threw her to the couch and took his gun again. "You better behave or I'll kill you".

A single tear then ran through Renee's cheek. "We both know you'll kill me even if I _do_ behave". Pained resignation was showing in her pale blue eyes. She didn't want to die. She wanted to live and marry Jack. But she knew that that it wouldn't happen. She had failed the man she loved. The Russian didn't even bother pretending she was wrong. Renee then wiped the tear from her cheek and spoke bitterly "You're digging your own grave, Igor. Jack and Leo will team up to hunt your down and kill you. And, believe me, it won't be quick".

Igor responded by furiously hitting her in the stomach. "You think I'm scared of those two?". He then slapped her across her face yet again. "I fear no one!". He slapped her again and, this time, Renee's perfect nose began bleeding. Igor's steel-blue eyes were showing pure hatred. "You're going to pay for what you did to my brother".

She closed her eyes and prepared herself to die right then. Nothing happened. So he opened her eyes again. She that Igor was preparing some sort of injection. It couldn't be anything good. "What?".

As he prepared the injection, Igor spoke calmly. "See… I tried to kill you by hitting you with a car and failed…". Renee eyes were then widened like plates as she absorbed the new information. Igor just kept talking. "I was quite pissed about it at first when I heard you survived, I must confess… Until I saw an opportunity… I realized I could do more than just kill you. I could make you suffer like you deserve".

Then Igor got closer to her with a syringe in his right hand and grabbed her arm with his left hand. Renee tried desperately to fight it. She kicked him with all her forces. "No… no, you son of a bitch…".

However, Igor, a 480 pound beast, was too strong for her. As she kicked and screamed, Igor forced her into a lying position and then got on top of her to restrain her movements. Then he searched for a vein and brusquely gave her the injection. With his job done, he moved away from her and stood up.

Renee didn't felt anything at first. She was then too terrified to even move. What had he given her? She looked at the place where he had given her the injection. There was now a rounded bruise there since Igor had been rough while applying the shot. Then, ten seconds later, every inch of her body felt like it was on fire. She felt like she was being burnt alive. She couldn't do anything but scream in agonizing pain.

Igor observed her scream in pain and truly enjoyed it. He then answered the question that was surely in Renee's mind. "It's Hyoscine-pentothal. A drug your fiancé is very familiar with". According to his research, Jack Bauer had received many-many drugs while imprisoned in China, one of them was precisely Hyoscine-pentothal. Besides, the former CTU Agent had used that drug in others, including Graham Bauer, Jack's own brother.

When the pain finally stopped, after thirty seconds, Renee tried to catch her breath and looked at Igor with deep hatred. "You son of a bitch". Her eyes were wet with tears and the drug had made her sweat like a pig.

Igor smacked her across the face brutally. "You deserve it!. You stabbed my brother fifteen times!". Once again he smacked her with extreme violence. "You left him disfigured". He instantly gave her another brutal smack. After that, he headed to prepare another injection using the same syringe and needle. "Vladimir had to have a closed-casket funeral. I couldn't even look at him one last time".

Next, the obese Russian gangster got on top of her and restrained her movements again while he applied the shot aggressively. "No! Stop!", Renee yelled as she tried in vain to fight. Then Igor moved away from her and, ten seconds later, she began to feel it again…. An excruciating pain… every inch of her body on fire. It was a physical pain she had never experienced before. And, for her, that was saying a lot.

She screamed desperately in agonizing pain for thirty seconds as Igor watched her gladly. She then caught her breath and stared into Igor's steel-blue eyes with fury. "You son of a bitch!". Instantly her fury turned into defiance. "Yes, I killed your stupid brother. He deserved it!".

Igor was deeply outraged. He pressed his lips tightly together and went to get his taser gun, which he kept with the rest of his stuff. Then he gave Renee an electric shot.

The electricity ran all around her body and it was so extremely painful. Once the pain stopped, she looked at Igor feeling helpless and with tears in her pastel-blue eyes. "What do you want?",

Igor got dangerously closer to her and invaded her personal space. "I told you… I want you to suffer for what you did to my brother".

Renee looked down and away with disgust because Igor's ugly face (which had old scars from having gotten burnt in the left side) was too close to hers. After the Russian finally moved away, she went back to being defiant. "Your brother raped me. He deserved it".

"He _had_ to take what he wanted! You kept rejecting him!", Igor argued yelling really loudly. Then he calmed down to make his point. "For eight months you did nothing but reject him and argue with him. You showed no respect. He couldn't have that. He had to teach you a lesson or he would have lost the respect of his men".

Renee never lost her cold demeanor. "I rejected him because he was disgusting".

Igor became furious like a bear in a fight. He smacked her across the face and gave her another electric shot. He just watched Renee scream in pain and felt better. "You liked him", he suddenly declared cockily. "You kept sleeping with him for months. And six years later you went back with him and slept with him again".

Renee thought Igor was absolutely insane. But something he had said suddenly hit her. She was deeply confused. It didn't made sense. "How…? How do you know I rejected him for eight months?".

"I talked to Paul and Andy Gecelovsky", he replied smugly. "A couple of weeks ago".

Renee was genuinely surprised to hear that. The Gecelovsky brothers were in a federal prison, they had been since she broke Vladimir's ring nearly seven years before. "They are in jail. They got a ten year sentence".

"They left earlier", Igor stated dryly. "Good behavior".

"I bet", Renee said very sarcastically. She was sure Andrew and Paul had actually escaped prison.

"They told me everything you put my poor little brother through". Igor's features darkened with pure loathe and then he gave Renee yet another electric shock. "You embarrassed him!".

Renee screamed in pain. Then she looked down as a tear rolled down her cheek. Next she looked back at Igor with despise. "So, _now_ you care about Vlad? You left him alone! Where were you six years ago when he lost everything? When he had to hide like a rat and change his face?".

Renee had clearly hit a nerve. Igor was more furious than ever. "Shut up!", he yelled while slapping her.

But she was on a roll. She wouldn't shut up. "And don't forget you sent him to America all by himself while you staid in England. You were never by his side, protecting him, like a big brother should".

The fat Russian didn't respond. He simply went to prepare another injection to punish Renee for the things she was saying. When the injection was ready he got on top of her, restrained her movements, and gave her the shot. Ten seconds later, Renee began feeling the agonizing pain.

As she screamed and sweat, Igor observed with satisfaction.

**02.59.56 – 02.59.57- 02.59.58 – 02.59.59 PM**

**03. 00. 00 PM**

(Please, let me know what you think)


	8. You really are a bitch, you know that?

**Author's note: ** Thank you for the nice words and the support, guys. Please, keep those reviews coming. They make my day. Just one or two words to let me know the story interest you will do.

By the way, I'm worried about some people who used to review regularly and now disappeared. I hope it doesn't mean they don't like the story anymore. I really hope everybody keeps enjoying it.

Special Thanks to my dear friend Brendan. I named a character after him to thank him for all his help.

**IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION! **I'm so sorry. I have just realized I made a mistake. Igor doesn't weigh 360 pounds. He weighs 480 (217 kilos) and is 6'2 tall (1,88). That's the size I always imagined for him, but I made a mistake when I tried converting 217 kilos into pounds.

**Disclaimer:** The show's not mine. Neither are the characters. I do own the necklace Elisha Cubert used on season 7, the earrings Cherry Jones used on season 8 and the complete set of DVDs.

**CHAPTER 08: **

**You really are a bitch, you know that?**

**Previously: **While she was having an important lunch with a group of senators, Renee was kidnapped by Igor Laitanan, half-brother of her worst enemy. He wants to make her suffer before killing her so he tortured her with electric shocks and a pain-inducing drug.

Feeling incredibly terrified and distraught, Jack starts to investigate to find Renee. He then found out that a waiter called Julian Foster drugged Renee to facilitate the kidnapping. Foster reveals that Igor was driving a blue Chevrolet.

Leo was accused to kill Jacob Bukin, a gangster who knew who Igor Laitanan works for. Leo was going to be taken to the Justice department but, while they were taking him, he managed to escape, after shooting Agent Glenn Park in the foot and officer Munson in the shoulder. Then he went to hide to Jack and Renee's manor. When he called Jack, he found out about the kidnapping of Renee, so he stole a green Toyota Prius and went to meet Jack.

Liev Mastrosov was ordered by Ivan Jacobi to kill Jack and Leo. Liev is planning to send his henchman Akim Yudasi and three of his goons to do the task: Kirill Losev, Iosef and Seymon Gudovich¡.

Dana Walsh was killed in Venezuela by a sexy assassin, who took evidence from her.

_The following takes place between 03.00 PM and 04.00 PM, on the day of the State of the Union Address_.

**January 29th 2019 – Wednesday**

**03.02.50 PM**

**Washington DC. – 20th St and L St. **

**CTU DC. Headquarters **

Jack Bauer was very scared and desperate. Igor Laitanan had Renee captive. And that animal was capable of doing the most unthinkable things, according to Jack's research. The thought of Renee getting hurt, or worse, was unbearable to Jack. He was terrified and very desperate to find her.

He walked into the headquarters of CTU DC as he quickly took off his heavy coat. He had to see Chloe O'Brian. The computer genius was Jack's only hope. He saw her as soon as he reached the bullpen. Chloe was standing next to her husband and CTU DC's head analyst, Morris O'Brian. They were looking at a TV screen, which showed pre-recorded footage from the traffic cams.

As soon as Chloe noticed Jack there, she greeted him, "Jack". The nerdy woman was visibly worried. Jack had been truly miserable for so long, but Renee made him feel happy again. What if he lost her? Chloe knew Jack loved Renee very fiercely.

Jack didn't waste a second with peasantries. "Chloe, what do we know?",

Morris was the one who answered the question. "We couldn't get an image of the back of the restaurant. _But…"._ As he spoke, Morris showed images of a blue Chevrolet around the restaurant. _"_A blue Chevrolet was lurking around the restaurant for a couple of hours before the kidnapping. Then, after disappearing for 2 minutes, it can be seen moving away from the restaurant down 25h St.".

Jack then asked brusquely the question that mattered the most. "Where is it now?".

"It was last seen heading to Arlington down Teddy Roosevelt Memorial bridge", Chloe replied.

"_Last_ seen?", Jack asked for confirmation.

Chloe wrinkled her nose awkwardly. "Yeah, uh… we lost it".

"You lost it?" Jack yelled at his friend like it was her fault, as he normally did in moments of great tension. "Damn it, Chloe! That car was our only lead".

Chloe wasn't mad at Jack for yelling, since she was too used to it. She looked at him with clear sorrow in her hazel eyes. "I'm sorry, Jack".

Morris then stepped in to try calming Jack down. "I'm still using the traffic cams to see if I can find the car in the area we lost it".

"We'll check all the streets of Arlington if we have to, Jack. We'll find her", Chloe assured her friend.

Jack knew they would find Renee. The terrifying question was…. Would they find her alive? They had to. The alternative was unthinkable. He felt a lump on his throat and his eyes moistened. "We _have_ to find her alive".

"We'll try", Chloe promised.

"In the meantime, you should go have a coffee or something", Morris suggested with the tone one would use to reason with a child. "There's nothing you can do for Renee right now".

Jack stared at his friend's husband like he was crazy. He couldn't just have a coffee and do nothing. He then made a decision. His eyes set on Chloe. "I'm going to Arlington".

The nerdy computer expert looked puzzled. "What are you going to do? Are you going to drive all around Arlington randomly in the off chance you might run into a blue Chevrolet?". The idea sounded crazy to her.

"Yes", Jack replied, like it was the most normal thing to do. "Call Jeffrey Teller. CTU DC. And the FBI should work together in this".

Chloe was more worried than ever about her friend. "I already talked to him. President Taylor called me and told me to work with the FBI".

"Okay", Jack said. "Call me when you have an exact location". Without waiting an answer, Jack headed very rapidly to the exit.

"She may not even be in Arlington at this point, Jack", Chloe shouted after Jack, who was walking away very quickly.

Jack ignored her and just went to CTU's parking lot, where he had left his black Ford mustang. He got in the vehicle and began driving with one hand as he took his cellphone with the other. He dialed Leon Craig's number.

Leo was driving the green Toyota Prius he had stolen like a maniac. He also drove with one hand as he took a call with the other one. "Yes?".

"Craig, it's me", Jack told him. "Where are you?".

"I've just got to DC.", Leo replied.

"I think Renee is somewhere in Arlington. I'm heading there to look for her", Jack informed talking fast.

Leo instantly directed his vehicle to Arlington. He calculated that it would take him ten minutes to get there since he had just left Maryland and was in DC. "Where in Arlington exactly?",

Jack kept driving frantically, barely managing to avoid colliding with another vehicle, as he spoke. "We don't know. I'll sweep it all if I have to".

Leo didn't question Jack's decision. Both men thought pretty much alike. "Okay. I'll go there to help you", he announced in a heartbeat.

"Thank you", Jack said and disconnected the call. He then called his deputy.

Colonel Nora McNally was working in her office, sitting by her desk, when she heard the phone ringing. Guessing who it could be, she picked it up after one ring. "McNally".

"Nora, it's me", Jack said as he drove fast.

Nora automatically adopted a sweet concerned tone. "Jack, do you know anything about Renee?",

"She may be in Arlington", Jack told her. "Listen, Nora, I have to keep looking for her".

Nora was not surprised at all to hear that. She instantly showed support and understanding. "Of course. I'll handle things here. You just worry about finding Renee".

"How are things looking in Lithuania?", Jack asked.

"Don't worry about that now", Nora said dismissively.

Jack wouldn't have that. "Nora…"

"The troops ain't moving", Nora assured him. "CIA and NSA intercepted messages sent to both, Russian and Kamistani troops. They were ordered to just stay by the boarder to intimidate".

"Good", Jack sighed relieved. At least he didn't have to worry about that on top of everything else.

The green-eyed woman then changed the topic and informed her boss about another issue. "Secretary Fenwick wants to see you. He's not happy with the result of your meeting with Carl".

"Because he didn't get his way", Jack pointed out, getting annoyed. He didn't like the secretary of defense at all.

"But I told him _I'd_ meet him", Nora added promptly.

"Okay", Jack approved. "I'll meet him after I find Renee". Unless he found her dead, he thought, in which case he would surely lose his mind. What would he do without her?

She could easily guess what he was probably thinking. Nora made a pause. and then her tone became much softer. "Jack… I'm sure you'll find her safe and sound".

Jack then had a rare moment of weakness and opened up to his deputy. For some strange reason, he trusted Nora and felt he could tell her almost anything. "I… I _need_ her alive".

Nora could sense how much Jack depended on Renee. She had realized as much a while ago. The strikingly tall blonde woman was trained well to read people and understand what was in other's minds.

She spoke sounding confident. "She's a survivor, Jack".

"Yeah", Jack agreed in a heartbeat. He needed desperately to believe Renee was going to be okay. He was going crazy with concern. "I have to go now. Thank you, Nora".

**03.08. 02 - 03.08. 03 - 03.08. 04 - 03.08. 05 PM**

**Washington DC. White House- West Wing **

Angela Nelson had just finished a press briefing, the second in one hour. But, even though the briefing was over reporters Connie Fairbanks, Artie Stern and Travis Herncastle were following her around like flies to get even more information. The press secretary was starting to lose her patience. "Guys, I called a full lid".

"But you barely said three sentences, doll", Artie protested as he walked next to Angie.

The sixty two year old reporter called all women ´_doll_´, _cutie_ or _gorgeous_. He was an old white man who was usually very patronizing with women. He had short thin white hair with a prominent receding hairline. He also had a klingon beard and coffee-brown eyes.

Angie detested the guy, but was forced to maintain a respectful tone. "Because that's all I can say, Art". Subsequently, she repeated patiently what she had already said. "The chief of staff was kidnapped while having lunch with a group of senators interested in working on the Moss-Buchanan act. The kidnapper was the same man who earlier this day killed the FBI DC. Deputy Director and a man with crucial evidence regarding the Suvarov-Novakovich case".

The old reporter was getting frustrated. He wanted more information. "Yes. But who is this gangster? What does he want?".

Right then, they reached the communications area of the west wing. It was a large room with many desks for the assistants and speech writers, and the room had also doors that led to the offices of the key players: Angie Nelson, Cal Coleman and Lynnette Lockhart.

Angela's assistant promptly got up from her desk and approached her boss with a pile of folders. Her name was Hanna Tildford, she was forty five years old, had long dark brown hair neatly combed up in a coil and heavy-lidded big nut-brown eyes. "Angie, Cal wants you to review this section of the state of the union about nuclear proliferation". The assistant handed Angie the folders. "And communications meeting is in half an hour". Next she gave her a sheet of paper. "This is your lists of calls".

"Thank you", Angie said to her assistant. "And I'd like a coffee, please".

"Coffee right up", Hanna agreed instantly.

Then the press secretary turned her dark-brown eyes to the reporters, "As you see, guys, I'm a very busy woman. We have another briefing in two hours. I'll see you then".

Arthur was annoyed and dissapointed. "You didn't answer my question".

Angie sighed wearily. "I can't tell you the name of the gangster. It'd obstruct the ongoing investigation. And nobody knows what he wants since he hasn't made any request".

Suddenly, Travis jumped into the conversation with a question of his own. "Do you think he's raping her?",

Angie froze. Obviously, the possibility of Renee being raped had crossed everyone's minds. But she didn't want to believe it was happening. She then gave the young reporter an angry stare for making such an insensitive question and spoke sharply. "Travis, don't make speculations of that sort. There's no way of knowing what's going on".

Connie then decided to change the topic. "I have a question about Leon Craig…".

Angie cut the reporter short before the woman could ask another question. She was beginning to lose her temper. "I already said all I can say". Then she, once again, repeated what she had said talking very fast, "Leon Craig has been accused of the murder of Jacob Bukin, a gangster imprisoned in a federal prison. While Craig was being taken to the justice department to clear things up, he escaped".

"After shooting another FBI agent in the leg and a police officer in the shoulder?", Connie asked for confirmation alone.

"Yes", Angie confirmed with a nod. "FBI is looking for him and he will be held accountable for his actions. Yet, his involvement in Bukin's murder has yet to proven".

"Please", Arthur then objected with a _give-me-a-break_ tone. "The guy shot two men and escaped, so don't tell me…".

"And for that he will pay", Angie interrupted sharply. "But we don't know if he murdered Bukin. Now, if you excuse me…". She turned around and walked away from them in direction to her office.

The reporters then gave up and left to do their jobs. At that moment, Valery Layton, a reporter for the ultra-conservative magazine 'Human Events', showed up in the communications area and quickly headed to the press secretary's office. She just walked in without even knocking. "Angie, I need to speak with you".

Angie was not at all surprised by the intrusion. The big breasted reporter in her early forties was quite rude. The press secretary casually left the folders on her desk while talking mockingly. "And I need to grow an extra pair of hands, but well…".

Valery scowled, clearly not amused. "This is serious, Angie".

The brown-eyed woman just rolled her eyes. "I bet it is".

With her normal cocky attitude, Valery spited out everything she knew, "Six years ago Renee Walker worked undercover with a Russian gangster. He beat the crap out of her and raped her, but she staid with him anyway and kept sleeping with him for information for eight months".

Angie's chestnut-brown eyes widened. She just couldn't believe Valery knew that. It wasn't possible. There were only ten people in the world who knew everything about Renee's first undercover mission, including Renee herself. She looked at the big-breasted reporter with deep confusion and shock. "Where on earth did you get that information?".

Valery raised her eyes brows with mild surprise. "So it's true".

"I didn't say that", Angie told her gravely in a split second. "Who told you those lies?".

"I got a letter from an anonymous source", Valery explained. "But they also sent me proofs".

The press secretary tried her best to look unfazed. "What proofs?".

"They sent me Walker's medical records", Valery said to Angie's shock. "She had several broken bones and a miscarriage. That gangster got her pregnant".

Angie quickly overcame her shock and adopted an extremely serious attitude. "Valery, you can't go public with this"

The reporter feigned deep confusion. "Why exactly?",

"Because the details of those undercover missions are classified, for national security reasons", Angie said trying to sound smooth, even though the reporter already knew that.

"It's not longer classified if the information is out there", Valery pointed out arrogantly.

Angie began to protest. "Valery…"

But Valery cut the press secretary off sharply. "Someone already made that information public by sending it to me, Angie. I have the right… the duty… to use it. If anything, you can arrest the source".

Slowly, Angie took a seat behind her desk and thought about what to do. The black-haired reporter sat across from her with victory written in her steel-grey eyes. The press secretary felt defeated. "Is there any way I can convince you to let this go?".

"Maybe there is", Valery said. She paused for dramatic purposes. "I want the details of the FBI-CTU rescue operation that's going on right now. And if you find her alive I want an excusive with her about the kidnapping, what she went through and whatever she wants to say about her experience with Vladimir Laitanan".

Angie straightened her back and her whole body stiffened. "Valery, I don't know if Renee will want to talk about that". She paused and when she spoke again all doubt in her tone was gone. "Actually, I'm sure she won't".

Unfazed, the reporter simply stood up to leave. "Just tell her what I've offered".

"I'll tell her", Angie assured the reporter. Valery turned around and headed to the door. Suddenly, the press secretary spoke up. "You couldn't even wait for her to come back, couldn't you?". The press secretary shook her head disapprovingly. She found Valery's attitude very distasteful.

"I couldn't let you talk about the operation with my competitors now, couldn't I?", the ambitious and ruthless reporter justified carelessly.

"Come back in ten minutes", Angie ordered bitterly and defeated. "We'll talk about the operation".

Valery nodded and left the office.

_Angie leaned back against the back of her chair and looked beaten._

_Meanwhile, Chloe and Morris kept looking for Igor's car with traffic cams. Chloe bit her lower lip worriedly._

_At that moment, Leo kept driving the green Toyota Prius he had stolen in direction to Arlington._

_At that same time, Jack was driving his car, heading to Arlington. _

**03.13. 30 - 03.13. 31 - 03.13. 32 - 03.13. 33 PM**

**03.17. 06 - 03.17. 07 - 03.17. 08 - 03.17. 09 PM**

_Jack reached Arlington and began driving around looking for Renee._

_Right then, Leo kept driving the stolen vehicle as he smoked a Lucky Strike cigarette. He was still in DC._

_At the same time, Angie was talking to Caldwell Coleman and his deputy Lynnette Lockhart. _

_Simultaneously, Chloe was working, now in her office. _

**03.17. 26 - 03.27. 07 - 03.17. 28 - 03.17. 29 PM**

**Arlington, Virginia –Liev Matrosov's apartment**

Akim Yudasi was with Kirill Losev and the Gudovichi brothers, Iosef and Seymon. The four Russian gangsters were gathered in their boss's apartment planning their next move.

Akim, Kirill, Iosef and Seymon were sitting around a rounded table while their boss, Liev.

The boss was standing up and briefing them on their next assignment. "This is Leon Craig….", He showed them a picture of Leo that was on his cellphone. The photo had been taken recently without Leo's knowledge. The mafia had been observing Leo closely ever since he became FBI director. On it he appeared in a coffee house. The other men passed on the cellphone and observed the photo carefully as the boss kept talking. "Born on June 3rd 1972. 6' 5" tall. 180 pounds. _Extremely_ smart. By the age of thirty he was fluent in Russian, Italian and German. In high school he was a stellar student and captain of the basketball team. He got admitted into Brown. But on the summer before going to college his twin sister, Cristina Craig, was killed in a car accident. After that, he left home for good and got into the FBI academy, where he excelled". He then took his cellphone and put another picture with Leo. This time the picture was the one in Leo's FBI file. Once again, the men passed on the cellphone and observed the picture. "He has spent most of his career on undercover missions the other agents refused to take. From, 1995 to 2006 he worked in Chicago with the Italian mafia", Next Liev showed them a photo of a much younger Leo with a couple of Italian gangsters, as he kept informing his men, "They knew him as Leonardo Zaconne. After he broke the ring, he was sent to London, where he got deep undercover in Igor Laitanan´s gang. He used the alias Aleksandr Pretrovsky".

Liev showed them a picture of Leo and Igor. In the picture, the American and the Russian were drinking alcohol and smiling for the photo, which seemed taken at a party of some sort. The pair of sworn enemies looked like two best friends having a good time.

As the other gangsters looked at the photos, Liev continued giving them information, "Craig can speak Russian flawlessly and do the accent. Everyone believed he was born in Moscow. One night one of Laitanan's men saw Craig meeting and FBI agent. It turned out that Laitanan was having Craig tailed. Craig killed this man but Laitanan caught him. Then, during a chase, Craig caused a car accident that killed Laitanan's men. Laitanan was forced into exile. After that, Craig came back to America and worked undercover in New York…". As he talked, Liev showed his men pictures of Leo in New York with a bunch of gangsters. Then he showed them a newspaper article about Leo's promotion to director. "…until he was made FBI director last year".

Akim, Kirill, Iosef and Seymon observed all the photos and took in the information with concern. Their target seemed extremely dangerous. And they had already read the file of their other target… Jack Bauer. The three goons were secretly terrified, while the henchman remained confident in spite of the information he was receiving. Akim was sure they could beat the Americans.

Iosef was the one who finally asked the question in everyone's mind. "How… how are we going to find him?",

Liev, already with a plan in mind, was very quick to reply. "Right now Igor Laitanan has Renee Walker captive. She's Craig's best friend and Bauer's woman. They are looking for her right now. You guys have to watch the place where Walker is and just wait for Craig and Bauer to find her body there".

"What if they don't find her?", Akim asked.

"Sooner or later they'll find her body", Liev assured his henchman with confidence. "We'll tell Laitanan to leave it there as a bait. And if that fails, we'll use _Laitanan_ as bait… Craig and Bauer are gonna want to kill him".

Nobody doubted that. Akim stood up and got ready to start working. "So, where's Walker?".

Liev gave his man the information Ivan Jacobi had given him. "Right here in Arlington. In the corner of Wayne Street and Key Boulevard. A big grey house with two floors, brown doors and brown windows. The roof is black".

The henchman acknowledged with a nod. Then the goons and him prepared to exit. Their boss wasn't able to join them because he was busy taking care of other business.

Before the others left, Liev gave them all a serious warning with a grave tone. "Gentlemen, each of these two men has more experience than the four of you put together. They have killed more people in one week than any of you in your entire life. They are extremely dangerous, highly trained and unpredictable".

"We'll be careful", Akim promised solemnly.

**Arlington, Virginia - Wayne Street and Key Boulevard**

**03.21. 16 - 03.21. 17 - 03.21. 18 - 03.21. 19 PM**

Renee was in hell. For the past twenty five minutes Igor Laitanan had given her injections of Hyoscine-pentothal and electric shocks with a taser gun. The injections were the worst. They made her feel like every inch of her body was on fire. The excruciating pain lasted thirty seconds, and it was more physical pain than Renee had ever felt before. The twenty five minutes felt like hours. She couldn't understand how Jack had been able to put up with twenty months of that.

The terrible part was that she could do nothing to stop it. Igor wasn't asking questions. He didn't want any information whatsoever. He didn't want her to do anything. He was simply enjoying watching her screaming in pain. It excited him. It made him feel powerful. Renee knew that the pain would only stop when the Russian gangster finally got bored and decided to kill her.

While she sat on the red loveseat, helplessly, Igor gave her yet another injection as he talked to her. "Actually, Renee, you are right about something… I wasn't there for Vlad when he was alive", he admitted sadly. "But now…". He got even closer to her and stroked her dark auburn hair, which was damped with sweat. He was getting very turned on. Renee was in her cream-colored underwear, since he had already removed all her clothes, and she was sweating a lot. It was so sexy for him. And watching her in pain made it all even hotter. "Now I'm being a good brother, avenging his death".

Then the drug kicked in and Renee felt the agonizing pain yet again. "You son of a bitch! Fat bastard!", she screamed. The pain was so unbearable. She screamed and yelled profanities for thirty endless seconds. Finally, the pain subsided. Renee stared at her captor with pure hatred and quickly came up with a witty remark. "I'm sure Vlad can't wait to thank you for this. Go to hell and meet him".

Igor had nothing but loathe in his steel-blue eyes. He put his ugly face with burn scars merely inches away from Renee's and spoke with a threatening tone. "I have a gun, a taser gun, drugs and a scalpel… so if I were you I would choose my words more carefully".

Renee looked at the obese Russian arrogantly. She was trying hard to keep a cool attitude. "And if I were you I would stop eating. But, what are we gonna do? I'm me and you are you".

Overwhelmed by a wave of rage, Igor grabbed Renee by the throat, nearly chocking her. "What's wrong with you, bitch? Why can't you show some respect?". He then let go Renee's neck feeling immensely frustrated.

She coughed and struggled to catch her breath. And then Igor simply smacked her across the face for the hundredth time. Renee responded punching him in the face with both fists, since they were tied together with a handcuff. Igor then hit her violently again. After that, he moved away from her to prepare another injection. Once he had it ready, he held Renee against the loveseat to restrain her movements as he injected the pain-inducing drug.

"No! No! Stop!", Renee yelled desperately as she tried in vain to fight the 480-pound beast.

Igor brusquely gave her an injection directly into a vein. A bruise appeared in Renee's arm, which already had several bruises from all the injections. The fact that Renee fought them only made it more painful when Igor pierced her right arm with a needle.

Igor once again put his rounded ugly face with burn scars on a side very close to Renee's. "Before you die, you'll learn to show some respect, bitch. I'll teach you".

Renee then spited him right on his face. Igor just cleaned up the spit with his sleeve. Soon enough, the drug kicked in and Renee began screaming in excruciating pain and sweating, which pleased the obese Russian. He simply held her against the loveseat with a tiny smile as she screamed.

Thirty seconds later, Renee was once again ready to keep insulting her captor. She wouldn't show any respect whatsoever. "I can't respect a disgusting ball of fat like you!". Outraged, Igor slapped her across the face. But Renee didn't back down. She just kept saying things that were hurtful for him "Your brother was nothing but a coward and a moron who thought with his tiny penis".

She was only infuriating Igor more. He smacked her violent across her already-bruised face, making her nose bleed. "And you're nothing but a whore! You're a slut! I know you slept with _two_ men in one day!". He hit her harshly once again. "Whore!".

The reminder of the fact that she had slept with both Vladimir and Jack on the same day was even more painful that the slaps on her face and the drugs. She said nothing, but a tear rolled down her cheek.

"You are right", Renee conceded sadly. Soon she became arrogant again. "I just thank God that your brother did things far too quickly".

Igor was too shocked by her arrogance to react with anger. He just couldn't believe the woman was saying things like that considering the crappy position she was in. Did she _want_ to die slowly and painfully? She was something else. He looked at the rude woman in disbelief. "You really are a bitch, you know that?".

"Actually, yes… I do know that", Renee said without a hint of sarcasm and nodded.

Igor was clearly pissed. "You know what bothers me the most? You got away with it!". Furious, he grabbed the taser gun and gave her another electric shock. Renee screamed in pain. He watched feeling satisfied and kept talking. "Your fiancé got you out of jail, and that bitch of Taylor made you the fucking chief of staff".

Renee's features darkened with hatred. "Don't you dare calling the president a bitch!", she yelled as she harshly punched him in the face with both fists.

Even more furious, he gave her another electric shock and watched her scream. Then, he decided to do something else to teach her to show respect.

To Renee's horror and disgust, Igor invaded her personal space, kissed her neck and touched her breast. She then panicked. She couldn't let it happen again. She fidgeted and tried to fight him fiercely. "No… no… stop it!", she yelled desperately.

The Russian mobster then began licking the spots behind her ears. "Vladimir was such a good brother", he whispered in her ear. "Always sharing his things with me".

Renee was so grossed out she felt like she was going to vomit. She also felt so scared and helpless. She thought of Jack. She couldn't let another man touch her. No way. But what could she do? She was trapped. Another tear rolled down her cheek.

Igor kissed the spot between her breasts and then moved up and kissed her mouth. It was then that Renee bit his lower lip so hard that it started bleeding. Igor took a hand to his lips in pain. "You bitch!".

The Russian slapped her harshly across the face. Next Renee punched him and kicked him. In the struggle, she fell from the red loveseat. Igor pressed her against the blue carpet and forced her to roll on her stomach to take her from behind.

Renee desperately tried to craw away from him. She spotted the two electric guitars and managed to grab one of them. In one quick motion, she turned around and hit him harshly in the head with the guitar several times.

To her relief, Igor lost consciousness. She left the guitar, grabbed her granite-grey blazer to, at least, cover herself a little and ran away from the studio. She ran downstairs and spotted a side table with a phone. She hurried to pick up the receiver and dial Jack's cellphone number.

**03.27. 43 - 03.27. 44 - 03.27. 45 - 03.27. 45 PM **

Jack was in his car, still driving his car randomly, looking for Renee. He heard his cell ringing. Very quickly he took the call. "Yes?".

"Jack, it's me", Renee whispered rapidly.

Jack was very relieved to hear her voice. "Renee, where are you? Are you okay?".

"I'm fine", she lied weakly for his benefit. "But I don't know where I am".

"Don't worry", Jack tried to reassure her. "Chloe will trace this call. I'll find you. I give you my word".

"Okay…". Renee pressed her lips together and a tear rolled down her cheek. She wanted to beg him to find her soon. She didn't have a lot of time.

At that moment, she heard Igor running downstairs. She panicked, dropped the phone and ran to find a place to hide.

Jack started to freak out. "Renee? Renee? Renee, talk to me". He realized Renee was no longer there and feared the worst. "No… no… damn it!, He hung up and instantly stopped the vehicle and called Chloe for her to trace the phone the call had come from.

Renee got in a large downstairs bathroom and locked herself in.

**03.28. 19 - 03.28. 20 - 03.28. 21 - 03.28. 22 PM **

Chloe was working in her office when she heard the phone ringing. She took the call after only one ring. "O'Brian".

"Chloe is me", Jack said talking really fast. "I need you to trace this number…. 571 257-7355".

Chloe immediately wrote the number down. "Okay. But why?".

"Renee, called me from there", Jack informed with evident urgency.

"Okay. I'll get the address and sent it to you, I will send an ambulance and the FBI too", Chloe assured him talking as fast as Jack.

Jack then concluded the phone call. "Thank you".

_Chloe rushed to go to the bullpen and gave Morris the number to trace. _

_Simultaneously, Renee pressed her back against the bathroom door. She was trembling and trying hard not to cry. _

_Meanwhile, Igor tried to knock the bathroom door down. _

_Right then, Jack was in his car, waiting nervously and worriedly for an address_

**03.29. 30 - 03.29. 31 - 03.29. 32 - 03.25. 39 PM **

**03.33. 03 – 03.33.04 – 03. 33. 05- 03.33.30 PM**

_Jack already had the address and was heading to the house driving his Black Ford mustang like a maniac. He was about to arrive._

_Meanwhile, Leo was heading to the house as well, since Jack had just called him to give him the address. _

_At the same time, Akim and the goons where already waiting for Leo and Jack a block away from the house. They were in a Black Audi A3 that belonged to Akim. _

_At that moment, Igor was trying to force the bathroom door open. _

The fat Russian gangster was using some tools to force the bathroom door open. Finally, he managed to open it, to Renee's horror. He threatened her with the HK USP Compact side gun he had in his hands as he got closer to her. "If you fight me I'll shoot you in the head".

Renee looked straight into his steel-blue eyes with disgust and defiance. "Go ahead. I rather die than let you put your hands on me".

Igor slapped her so violently that Renee fell down and hit her head with the edge of the bath tube. He then kicked her furiously on the back several times. He was not planning to kill her without raping her first. Always holding his gun, he got on top of her and, using all his 480 pounds, he restrained her as he kept a gun on her temple.

Renee did her best to try fighting him off. She was feeling desperate, terrified, grossed out helpless all at the same time. "No". She fidgeted trying to escape his embrace. Igor just kept nibbling her neck and lobules. "Stop it!", she begged uselessly with tears in her eyes. Naturally, Igor wouldn't listen to her and began licking the spot between her breasts.

All the sudden, a gunshot was heard and then the sound of something crashing against the floor. It startled both, Igor and Renee. They looked to see what happened and saw Jack there, aiming a gun at the Russian man. Jack had apparently shot a lamp to call their attention.

Jack's blood was boiling. "Get off her now!",

Igor quickly stood up and forced Renee to stand up as well. He stood behind her to get some cover and kept his side gun on her temple. "If you move a finger she dies".

Jack and Renee looked at each other with despair in their two pairs of eyes. What could they do? Jack's hand was trembling slightly while Renee's crystal-blue eyes were sparkling with unshed tears.

Jack then lowered his gun, not knowing what else to do. He could try shooting Laitanan in the head, not giving the Russian the chance to shoot Renee. But the Russian was positioned right behind her. It was too risky. He couldn't risk Renee's life. "Let her go, Laitanan and I'll let you go".

"Jack, no!", Renee exclaimed in disbelief. How could they let that animal go?

Jack just looked at her sadly. Renee had a gun on her temple. She was all bruised and almost naked. His instinct was to protect her no matter what. He couldn't let Igor Laitanan kill her. Jack's sorrowful aquamarine-green eyes shifted then from Renee to Igor. "I'll let you go".

Igor narrowed his eyes distrustfully. "Okay. Then give me your gun".

"Jack, don't do it", Renee pleaded.

"Put your gun slowly on the floor and kick it towards me", Igor ordered.

"Don't do it", Renee desperately begged once again. "He'll kill you too".

Jack didn't listen to her. He slowly put the gun on the floor and kicked it towards Igor. The Russian man the picked it up and put it on his pocket as he kept his own gun on Renee's temple.

"The FBI will be here soon", Jack told the other man. "Just go and leave us alone. I'm not going to chase you", he falsely promised the other man.

"Oh, I know you won't", Igor said smugly. "Because if you do she'll bleed out to death".

Jack and Renee were confused by the words. But they had no time to let them sink in. In an instant, Igor took the scalpel in his pocket and did a deep cut in Renee's thigh, cutting her femoral artery. She gasped in pain and exchanged horrified looks with Jack while the Russian gangster ran away as quickly as humanly possible.

Jack knew he couldn't chase him now. He had to stop the bleeding or Renee would die. He looked around desperately trying to find something useful.

Renee stood there in complete shock as she kept loosing blood. "Jack…", she managed to gasp softly.

Before doing anything else, Jack helped her sit down on a couch in the living room. Then he quickly took off his coat, his blazer and his shirt and then used the shirt to make a tourniquet. Once the bleeding was under control, he put his coat on her to cover her up and, after that, he covered himself with his blazer. Finally, he sat next to her and held her tight as they waited for an ambulance. "I've got you, sweetheart. You're gonna be okay". He lovingly stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. Then he pulled her closer to him, closed his eyes and sighed with relief. "You're going to be okay".

**03.36. 11 – 03.36.12 – 03. 36. 13- 03.36.14 PM**

Leo then arrived to the house in the stolen green Toyota. He immediately saw a blue Chevrolet speeding away from the house. He knew that car was the one Igor Laitanan was using, so he increased his own speed and chased it.

Inside the black Audi A3 parked nearby Akim, Kirill, Seymon and Iosef saw everything. "That's him", Seymon exclaimed from the shotgun-seat. "The one in the green car is Craig!".

Akim, the one in the driver's seat, had already noticed that. He had already gotten the car started and began chasing the green Toyota.

"What about Bauer?", Iosef asked from the backseat. "He's still in the house".

"In ten seconds that house will be surrounded by the federals and the police", Akim pointed out grumpily. "Taking care of Craig will be much easier".

"Maybe Laitanan killed both Walker _and_ Bauer before taking off", Kirill suggested weakly.

Seymon wasn't as optimistic. "Or maybe he saw Bauer and left without killing anyone".

Kirill didn't believe it. "Why would he do that?",

"Cause Bauer threatened him", Iosef speculated weakly.

"Laitanan wouldn't have let anyone stop him", Kirill insisted stubbornly. "Have you read his file? That man is _obsessed_ with Walker".

Akim sighed and shook his head, getting really tired of all the bickering. "Just call Mr. Jacobi and find out! He's well-connected".

**03.37. 38 – 03.37.39 – 03. 37. 40- 03.37.41 PM**

Jack and Renee were still sitting on the couch waiting for an ambulance. She was holding on to him like her own life depended on it. She was feeling truly bad. "Jack… I'm cold and very dizzy".

"You lost a lot of blood. But you'll be okay. I give you my word", Jack assured her with a soothing voice. He then quickly covered her putting his coat over her blazer. After doing so, he whispered frustrated to himself, "Where's that damn ambulance?".

"Jack, just go after him… I'll wait for the ambulance alone", Renee practically begged.

"I can't leave you like this and he knows it. That's why he did it", Jack told her with mild frustration. Normally, once the bleeding was controlled, he would have left her to catch the man. But, for some reason, he couldn't do that when it was Renee who was vulnerable and weakened.

Finally, Jack decided not to wait for an ambulance. He would take her to the hospital himself. He scooped her up and headed straight to the front door.

Right then, they heard sirens, which meant the help was arriving. Jack left the house carrying Renee and met the paramedics outside. The paramedics took Renee and put her in the back of a gurney. One of them talked to the patient nicely while evaluating the severity of the wound in her leg, "Hello, Ms. Walker. I'm Martin. We are going to take you to the hospital, okay?".

Martin's Hispanic partner examined the patient's pupils with a small flashlight. "Can you tell me what day it is?",

Renee hadn't forgotten it was the day of the state of the union address. "It's January 29th of 2019".

"And can you tell us what happened to your leg?", Martin asked, while disinfecting the wound from the long and deep cut, which would obviously need many-many stitches.

"The man who kidnapped me, Laitanan, he cut it with a scalpel", Renee told him. The paramedic nodded and examined a particularly nasty bruise on her side and on her abdomen. "Those are old", Renee explained rather dismissively. "I was hit by a car a month ago".

Martin nodded acknowledging. The Hispanic paramedic listened to her heart, took her pulse and her blood pressure. He moved Jack away from Renee in order to have room to work. Jack gave him a very angry glare, which the paramedic ignored.

Then Renee suddenly remembered to tell Jack something. "Jack, it was him. He hit me with that car".

Jack was stunned as well as enraged. "What?"

"He told me himself", Renee said.

Jack was more than livid. He wanted to kill Igor with his bare hands. That fat bastard had to suffer like nobody had ever suffered before.

Martin began checking and disinfecting the wound on Renee's head. As he did so, he explained the situation to her. "You suffered severe blood lost so we need to put you on an IV to compensate for the fluid lost". He quickly began preparing said IV.

"You also need X-raids and an MRI", the Hispanic paramedic added, noticing how Renee had been beat up badly. Next he gave the distressed blonde man a quick look. "Are you her husband?".

"Her fiancé", Jack corrected him rather rudely. He then looked at her and squeezed her hand to show support. He was realizing just how badly he wanted to be her _husband_, and not just her fiancé. They had agreed to get married on March 25th, exactly two years after the day they first met. But that day was almost two months away and it wasn't soon enough for Jack.

At that moment, the FBI and the police arrived. Agent Jeffrey Teller and Dale Reynolds got out from one of the FBI cars and headed straight to the ambulance. As they did so, Jeffrey addressed agents Lenny Charters and Brandon Turner talking loudly and fast. "Set a twenty block perimeter and sweep the area".

"He must have taken the car with him because it's not here", Lenny pointed out.

"We have to assume he's gonna switch vehicles", Jeffrey said. "We need to stay alert to any car reported stolen in the area". The other agents nodded in acknowledgement. Then Jeffrey got to where Renee and Jack were and addressed them. "Mr. Bauer, hi. Renee, how are you?".

"I'm gonna be fine", Renee answered, trying to appear strong.

"I need to ask you a few questions", Jeffrey told her rather brusquely.

But Martin interrupted the conversation. "We need to take her to the hospital now". As he said that, his partner headed to drive the vehicle.

"I'll ride with you", Jeffrey stated firmly. He wasn't asking. Next he quickly addressed Agent Reynolds. "Dale, you stay here. You're in charge".

"Okay", Dale agreed promptly and left to do his job.

Then the Hispanic paramedic began driving the ambulance in direction to the hospital. Jack, Renee, Martin and Jeffrey were on the back part. Jack was lovingly holding Renee's hand and looking at her, as he silently thanked God that she was there and would recover.

Jeffrey decided to go straight to the point that concerned him the most. "So, before you tell me everything about Laitanan, I need us to talk about Leo".

"Yes", Renee agreed rapidly. She knew Leo had been accused of killing Jacob Bukin. She thought her friend was at the justice department. "I wanted to talk to you about Leo too. Listen, Jeffrey, he's innocent. He didn't kill Bukin".

"He's guilty, Renee", the new FBI director stated rather sharply and without any doubt.

Renee was fast to object. "He wouldn't…"

The brown-eyed agent cut her right off. "He shot Glenn Park on the foot. And he also shot an innocent police officer on the shoulder".

Renee's crystal-blue eyes widened in great shock. "He did _what_?"

"He shot two men and escaped", Jeffrey told her.

Renee couldn't believe Leo had done such a thing. She shook her head in denial. "I don't believe it".

Quickly, Jack stepped in to defend his newest friend fervently. "He only did it because he wants to find Laitanan and make justice. He didn't want to waste precious time in the justice department".

Nevertheless, Jeffrey cared very little about Leo's motives. Glenn Park was a dear friend of his and was now injured because of Craig. "Even so, we need to find him". He then addressed Renee. "Do you know where he could be hiding?".

"No. I don't", Renee replied honestly.

"Renee, you're the Chief of staff", Jeffrey reminded her firmly, not believing her. "You can't protect a fugitive".

"I'm telling you. I don't know", Renee insisted. She actually wanted the FBI to catch Leo because he was walking down a very dangerous path. He needed to be stopped before it was too late. He needed to be stopped for his own sake. But she didn't know how.

The FBI acting Director remained skeptical. "You don't know of any friend he could turn to? Any place he may be hiding?"

Jack then jumped in again to defend his fiancée shooting angry-darts at the FBI agent with his aquamarine-green eyes. "Hey, she already said she doesn't know".

Renee kept her eyes on Jeffrey and spoke with a firm tone and showing no doubt. "All I can tell you is this… Leo is not _hiding_ anywhere. He's looking for Laitanan. And he won't stop until he finds him". She made a pause to let her words sink in and then made a suggestion, "Find Laitanan and you'll probably find Leo too"

_Jeffrey bit his lower lip and nodded, agreeing with what Renee was saying. _

_Simultaneously, Igor Laitanan was driving at full speed the stolen blue Chevrolet. He looked at the mirror on the side of the car and noticed the green Toyota chasing him. _

_In that moment, Leo was driving the stolen Toyota, chasing Laitanan. He saw through the mirror a_ _black Audi A3 closely behind him and got suspicious._

_Meanwhile, Akim kept driving the Audi, chasing Leo. His men were getting their guns ready. _

**03.42. 04 – 03.42.05 – 03. 42. 06- 03.42.07 PM**

**03. 46. 33- 03.46. 34 – 03. 46. 35 – 03-46.36 PM**

_The ambulance arrived to Virginia Hospital center. _

_In the meantime, Dale Reynolds was processing evidence in the studio were Renee had been captive. _

_At that moment, Lenny and Brandon were looking for the blue Chevrolet. _

_Right then, Leo was getting closer and closer to the blue Chevrolet driven by Igor Laitanan. _

Leo increased the speed of the Toyota and finally approached the vehicle Igor Laitanan was driving. Soon, both vehicles were then moving forward side by side. He looked at Igor and frowned. The Russian bastard had killed Liz and kidnapped Renee. Leo didn't even know whether Renee was alive or not. Either way, that Russian had to pay dearly. Leo would make him suffer.

Igor looked to a side and saw Leo. His steel-blue eyes momentarily met the American's hazel ones. It was the first time the mortal enemies saw each other since the day of Igor's supposed death, the same day Igor found out that his dear friend Aleck worked actually for the FBI. His features darkened with deep hatred. Both men detested each other so profoundly.

The American had to do something to make the Russian stop driving. He got the window down, allowing the cold air to fill the car, and then took his Glock 23.

Leo fired the first shot. He purposely tried to avoid killing his enemy instantly because he wanted Igor to feel a lot of pain before dying. He went for the shoulder. But he missed his target by an inch.

The Russian man automatically got his own gun ready and shot at the American. But he failed to hit his target too.

Leo responded and, this time, got to hit Igor on the shoulder.

The blue Chevrolet spun out of control until it hit a tree.

Leo stopped the green Toyota and got out of the vehicle quickly with his gun ready and his backpack. All the sudden, four Russian men got out a black Audi A3 with their guns aimed at him. Leo recognized three of the men. They were Russian gangsters the FBI had been investigating. For months, the FBI had been trying unsuccessfully to raid one of the illegal poker games they organized and catch the leader of the gang.

"Slowly, give us your gun", Akim ordered firmly, aiming his gun at Leo head.

The American took a quick look around, feeling absolutely stunned. He first looked at Igor. The obese Russian was injured but held a weapon also aimed at Leo's head. Leo's eyes then shifted from his mortal enemy to the other men. "Why the hell are you helping him?".

Akim obviously ignored that question. "Give us your weapon! Now!".

Leo hesitated for a moment. Unfortunately, he didn't see another choice. Four Beretta M9 guns and a HK USP Compact side gun were pointed at his head. Now, those men would likely kill him whether he gave them his Glock 23 or not. He was trapped. What could he do? He was so screwed.

He prepared himself to die and had suddenly an idea. He hadn't made Igor Laitanan pay. But he would die trying. He would die making justice. He didn't want Igor to die instantly and painlessly. Nevertheless, since Leo wouldn't live to inflict pain in the bastard, he had no other choice but to try putting a bullet in Igor's head. Making a suicide move, he aimed his gun at Igor's head and pulled the trigger.

Akim saw when Craig aimed the Glock 23 at Igor. With quick reflexes, He tackled Leo just as the Glock 23 was being shot. As a result, the bullet hit nothing but the sky.

Leo and Akim struggled on the floor. Kirill, Seymon and Iosef went quickly to their superior's rescue. Kirill and Seymon restrained Leo by taking one of his arms each. Iosef attempted to restrain the American's legs, but Leo kicked him hard on the face. Akim quickly restrained Leo by grabbing his legs. The American fidgeted desperately trying in vain to fight.

Then, the Russians dropped Leo harshly to the floor and the four of them began kicking him while he was down. Seymon kicked him in the head several times. Leo finally lost consciousness.

Satisfied, Akim addressed Seymon and Iosef. "Put him in the trunk. And take his backpack". Next he turned his demin-blue eyes on Kirill. "Take Laitanan with Gordon Hamish. He'll take care of the wound".

Obediently, Seymon and Iosef carried Leo and locked him up inside the trunk of the Audi A3. As they did that, Igor sat in the shotgun seat of the blue Chevrolet and Kirill sat on the driver's seat. He got the car started and took the obese Russian to Gordon Hamish's place, in Baltimore.

Finally, Akim sat on the driver's seat of the black Audi A3 and got it started it to go to the place where they would kill and bury Leon Craig.

**03. 50. 01- 03.50. 02 – 03. 50. 03 – 03-50.04 PM**

**Washington DC. White House- West Wing **

The white house press room was packed with reporters talking loudly to each other about the events of the morning. They were all trying to get information from their peers.

Travis Herncastle was then talking to Connie Fairbanks. "I heard a waiter drugged her and that's how they took her".

The two reporters got along well and often cooperated with each other. Constance, who worked for a liberal media group called '_Politico_', was forty years old, slightly chubby, wore tick glasses and had a friendly rounded face, sensual pale-green eyes and perfectly straight short bright strawberry-blond hair she wore loose. Travis, who worked for a conservative web site called _WorldNetDaily_ (_WND_), was a geeky-looking short young man in his late twenties, with russet-brown hair and russet-brown eyes.

"Yeah", Connie confirmed. "I talked to another waiter who gave me some information. The one who drugged her is called Julian Foster and is now detained in the FBI headquarters. Apparently the gangster gave him money".

Right then, Sean Callahan approached them with some news. "Guys, I've got the name of the gangster". Two pairs of eyes were soon nailed on the hansom man with black hair and almond pale-blue eyes. "I already made it public, so I guess I might very well tell you". The thirty six year old reporter made first a pause for dramatic purposes. "Igor Laitanan. Walker killed his brother while she was an agent on the day Omar Hassan died. During a CTU operation that went wrong". Next he made another dramatic pause. "The weird thing is…". He raised a finger for emphasis. "All record of the autopsy disappeared. They say that because CTU was hit with an ETM bomb".

"It's not so weird, considering…", Connie said with a shrug. "Those bombs can fry everything".

"I was in NYC when it happened", Travis commented nodding. "And, yes, that bomb left everything destroyed".

Sean caressed his own black Van Dyke beard thoughtfully. "I guess…".

Then Hanna walked into the press room. The assistant took the podium to say a few words. "Ladies and gentlemen, take your seats. The press secretary has an announcement to make".

The room finally became silent as all reporters took their seats and got ready to listen attentively to the press secretary.

Angie walked into the room like she was walking into her own home. She felt very comfortable and in control whenever she dealt with the press. She took the podium and began speaking with a firm and serious tone. "Approximately at 3.30 Renee Walker was found alive but injured in a house in Arlington, Virginia. She was being taken hostage by a Russian gangster. She's now safe in Virginia Hospital Center".

Instantly, all the reporters raised their hands and clamored for Angie. The press-secretary then pointed at the Newsweek magazine reporter. "Yes, Sean?".

Sean Callahan asked instantly the question in everyone's mind. "Was she sexually assaulted?".

"No", Angie responded shaking her head slightly. "She was brutally beaten. This gangster beat her and did a deep cut on her right thigh, lacerating her femoral artery. He also tortured for half an hour with electric socks and Hyoscine-pentothal, a pain inducing drug".

Once again, the reporters raised their hands and frenetically clamored for the press secretary.

This time, Angie pointed her finger at Connie Fairbanks. "Connie".

"How long will she have to be in the hospital?", the female reporter asked.

"The doctors are still running some tests. They are being thorough. But she's expected to leave the hospital in a couple of hours", Angie replied smoothly. Hands were raised again. Angie's name was clamored. She pointed then at the _World Net Daily _reporter. "Travis?"

"Have you talked to her?" the young journalist asked.

"Yes. We talked over the phone five minutes ago", Angie said.

Travis was sincerely concerned. "How did she sound to you?",

"She sounded anxious to get back to work", Angie answered truthfully. "You guys know her…". She shrugged and shook her head like saying _she's-helpless_. She got some chuckles.

"Can we talk to her?", Sean abruptly asked. But the answer didn't truly matter. They would try to talk to her anyway.

"She's going to give a press conference as soon as she returns to the white house", Angie promised.

Arthur Stern suddenly made a question without waiting to be called. "And when would that be?",

"She'll be back as soon as she can leave the hospital". Angie then gave the reporters a tiny smile. She was really happy that Renee was doing well but she couldn't show a lot of emotion because it wouldn't be professional.

"That's not a very specific time, Angie", Arthur pointed out, with some annoyance.

"I'm sorry, Art", Angie said making an effort to be patient. Her job required a great deal of patience. "But we don't know how long the tests will take". Again, hands were being raised and Angie's name was frenetically clamored. This time Angie pointed her index finger at the Liberal minded reporter from Reuters who also run a blog called '_The Walker Watch'_. "Yes, Ted?".

"Who is in charge of finding this gangster?", Ted Carson asked.

"The president personally asked the director of Secret Service operations, Nathaniel O'Malley, to lead the hunt. He's expected to work side by side with the FBI", Angie said.

_The reporters raised their hands and shouted her name desperately again._

_Meanwhile, Leo was still unconscious in the trunk of the Audi A3._

_At the same time, a doctor was examining Renee. _

_At that same moment, Akim was driving his car and looked at his goons thoughtfully. _

**03. 53. 25- 03.53. 26 – 03. 53. 27 – 03-53.28 PM**

-ç

**03. 55. 03- 03.55. 04 – 03. 55. 05 – 03-55.06 PM**

_In Virginia Hospital Center, Renee's leg was being sutured as Jack held her hand._

_At that same moment, Angie was still answering questions from the reporters. _

_Meanwhile, FBI agents kept looking for Leo and Igor. _

_At that same time, Leo began regaining consciousness. _

Leo regained consciousness and found himself trapped in the trunk of the black Audi A3. He rolled to be on his back and desperately tried to kick the trunk open. He kicked hard for 30 seconds, as hard he could, but it was useless. He paused and thought about what to do next. He then put his hand in the back pocket of his jeans and noticed that, luckily, his throw-away cellphone was still there. He gave a sigh of relief and took it.

The last call he had made from that cellphone had been to Jack, so he pressed the green button and called him again.

Jack was in room 102 of Virginia Medical Center. Normally, Renee would have been taken care off in a cubicle in the emergency room. But, since she was the President's chief of staff and Allison had made a call Renee had gotten a private room. At that moment, he was holding Renee's hand as they sutured her leg's injury. Suddenly, his cellphone rang.

"Excuse me, I'm gonna take this outside", he said politely to Renee and the doctor taking care of her. He stepped out of the room and took the call. "Bauer".

"Bauer, it's me, Leo", Leo told him hastily.

Jack was glad to hear from Renee's best friend. Supposedly, Leo was on his way to the house. He wondered what had happened to the man. "Craig! Look, I found Renee. She'll be fine".

"I'm so glad", Leo sighed with genuine relief. But there was no time to feel good about it. He had to tell Jack what was going on. "Listen, uh, I'm in a bit of a pickle here", he grossly understated.

Jack was instantly alarmed. Leo was already in big trouble for shooting Glenn Park and Oscar Munson. What else had gone wrong?. "What happened?".

Leo just burped out everything talking really fast. "I chased Laitanan and got to shoot him on the shoulder. But then four Russians popped up from nowhere and they locked me up in the trunk of a car. We are moving right now. I'm pretty sure they're taking me somewhere to kill me".

Jack's aquamarine-green eyes widened in shock and he rested his back on the back of the chair as he took Leo's words in. "Do you… do you know this men?".

"No, I've never seen them before", Leo admitted.

Jack quickly stood up. "Okay. Don't worry. I'll have Chloe track your cell. We'll find you".

"Come alone, Jack", he ordered firmly. If Jack went to the police and the FBI Leo would be detained.

"Okay", Jack agreed instantly and hung up the phone. Then he went back into Renee's hospital room, where she was still receiving stitches. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry but I have to go".

"What happened?", Renee asked feeling a little disappointed. She felt safe with Jack around.

Jack hesitated for a brief moment but then decided to lie to her. "Nora called me. I… I have to meet secretary Fenwick. He doesn't want to meet her".

"Oh. Okay. Okay. Go", Renee urged him nodding.

Jack got closer and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Then he began his exit but, just before reaching the door he gave Renee one last look. What if he died trying to recue Leo and left her all alone? He swallowed a lump of angst on his throat and managed to speak very softly. "I love you".

Renee melted, thinking he was being really sweet. "I love you too, honey".

Jack just turned around and left the room.

**03. 57. 30- 03.57. 31 – 03. 57. 32 – 03-57.33 PM**

**Dulles international Airport. **

Brendan Marson arrived to the airport in his navy-blue 68 Mercury Cougar car and parked it. He looked through the window and didn't see the woman he was expecting to see. He checked his wristwatch rather impatiently. The woman was supposed to wait for him in the parking lot. He couldn't go inside the airport because there was too much security. He got out of the car and decided to stand next to it to wait for the lady.

Brendan was a former captain who had been in the US. Special Forces. He was 56 years old, had very short blonde hair, big electric-blue eyes and tick eyebrows. He weighed 210 pounds and was 6 feet tall. In spite of the fact that he had once been in a bomb explosion, his attractive face showed no sign of burns because of a plastic surgery he had undergone. He did have burns in his left arm and chest though. But he didn't care very much.

Suddenly, the sexy woman he was supposed to meet appeared. She was wearing tight jeans and a sweater. She also had a short, strawberry-red wig that hid her long black hair, and pale-green contact glasses that hid her iceberg-blue eyes. Her excessive make up was also a big change. She never used make up, for her stunning delicate face didn't needed. But the idea was to look different.

Brendan saw her and his lips curbed up in a smile. "Welcome home, Elle Driver", he said mockingly. He liked to give people nicknames according to fictional characters that fit with the person he had in front of him. He was a big movie fan.

The beautiful woman kept her blank expression. Instead of wasting time with jokes she got right into business. "Do you have the thing ready?".

"I'm still working on it", He said, as they both got in his vehicle. The woman did not look happy. "Calm down. It'll be ready".

"It better be", the woman said instantly with a warning in her tone. She sat on the shot-gun seat and fastened the seatbelt. "I personally couldn't care less, but this means a lot to Joseph".

"And if _daddy_ ain't happy nobody is", he said, only half-kidding. Joseph was nobody's dad in reality. But, in a way, he was the father of them all. And Joe's sidekick, ´_Brooke_', would be the mom.

"That's right", the woman said with a very serious tone and expression.

Brendan silently drove his car and looked at the road. Then he gave his companion a quick look. "You can't wear a wig. They'll notice".

"I know", the woman agreed sadly. Her hair meant a lot to her. "I'll cut my hair and color it when we get to your apartment".

"At what time do you have to be in the capitol?", he asked.

"4.30", she replied.

"You'll have to be quick", Brendan pointed out after looking at his wristwatch. After a moment of silence, he expressed a concern. "What about Jack Bauer? He might recognize you".

"I won't cross paths with him", the woman assured him. "They'll take him out before the thing anyway".

Brendan couldn't help but to chuckle humorlessly. "The list of people of who tried that is as long as the constitution. For God's sake, how hard is it to kill a human guy?".

"I think they pull it off this time", the woman stated.

"How can you know that for sure?", Brendan asked rather skeptically.

"Because I know Bauer", she said smoothly. "Being happy and in love makes him weak. It distracts him".

"Problem is... Igor Laitanan has his woman right now", he informed what he knew. "He'll kill her".

Then the woman looked alarmed and pissed. "Why nobody told me about this?". Brendan just shrugged. The woman puffed and shook her head. "Jack Bauer pissed off over the death of his woman will be like the most dangerous of the animals".

"Well… Animals get hunted", Brendan pointed out, even though he wasn't very confident. "I guess we'll have to wait and see, Mandy".

Mandy nodded with concern, as Brendan kept driving silently.

**03. 59. 56- 03.59. 57 – 03. 59. 58 – 03-59.59 PM**

**04 PM**


	9. Believe me, there is no reasoning

**Author's note: ** Hi! Thanks for all the support, you guys. It means a lot to me. Your nice words cheer me up. I want more *_begging eyes_*. I don't care whether they are short or long. I need the encouragement to write such a difficult story. Also, thanks again to Brendan for his help.

**HI, LAU!** **Welcome back!** I'm so glad you are still enjoying this story. I missed you. Thanks for reviewing again. And thank you for your really nice words. I really appreciate it because I know it's not easy to make time for reading and reviewing. I hope life is treating you well in spite of being hectic. .

**Important: **I've been paying more attention to character's biographies. And I had to change some details that didn't really fit. I'll have to re-read Part 3 and edit it, but I don't know when I'll have the time.

**Clarification: **I know that in 24's universe a man called Harry Barnes was the President of the United States before David Palmer. Barnes was president in 24's prequel novels: Veto Power, Vanishing Point and Cat's Claw. And Ronald Reagan is the only modern real-life president to be mentioned. There's no mention of Bush Sr., Bill Clinton or Bush Jr. HOWEVER, in my universe, George Bush Jr. existed and served from the year 2001 until he lost reelection to David Palmer, and Harry Barnes never existed. It's simpler for me to do things like this since I haven't actually read 24's novels.

**Disclaimer:** The show's not mine. Neither are the characters. I do own the necklace Elisha Cubert used on season 7, the earrings Cherry Jones used on season 8 and the complete set of DVDs.

**CHAPTER 09:**

"**Believe me, there's no reasoning with that nutjob"**

**Previously: **At 9 AM Igor Laitanan killed Jason Pillar and stole a memory card from him. That card contains the evidence Charles Logan had used to blackmail Mikail Novakovich and Yuri Suvarov.

At 2 PM he kidnapped Renee. She was tortured and beaten by him for half an hour. He was about to rape her but she managed to escape and call Jack, who had Chloe trace the call and rescued her just in time. In order to escape, Igor cut Renee's femoral artery to avoid being chased by Jack. Renee was luckily taken to the hospital and will recover.

Leo chased Igor and managed to shoot him on the shoulder. But a gang of Russian men kidnapped him. They are taking him to a place to kill him and bury him. These people are Akim, Seymon and Iosef, who get orders from Liev, who gets orders from Ivan Jacobi, who gets orders from two people called Brooke and Joseph.

Reporter Valery Layton found out that Renee was raped by Vladimir and then slept willingly with him for eight months. In exchange for her silence she wants details of the FBI-CTU rescue operation, an excusive with her about the kidnapping, what she went through and whatever she wants to say about Vladimir.

Assassin Mandy came back from Venezuela, where she killed Dana Walsh, and she's ready to pose as a Secret Service agent. A former Special Forces Captain called Brendan Marson is assisting her.

_The following takes place between 04.00 PM and 05.00 PM, on the day of the State of the Union Address_.

**January 29th 2019 – Wednesday**

**04.03.16 PM **

**Baltimore , Maryland – Andrian Jacobi's Luxurious apartment – Calvert St. and Orleans St.**

Andrian Jacobi was a very busy guy. He worked on the restaurant his father owned to cover their _other activities_, he helped his father with such other activities, serving as second-in-command, and, in addition to all that, the twenty five year old man spent three hours a day at the gym to take care of his remarkable body.

Right then, he was in his bathroom, preparing himself to go to his dad's restaurant and help out. He was busy removing a couple of extra hairs he had spotted in between his eyebrows with a pair of tweezers. He shaped his eyebrows regularly. After that, he put on some lotion on his pretty face, which looked brownish because he had recently gotten a fake tan, as he did twice a month. Finally, he put on some mousse on his medium curly blonde hair to give it the proper shape.

Then the young gangster heard the doorbell ringing. He quickly went to see who it was. He looked through the peek hole and saw it was his intimidating father, who looked angry, as usual. Andrian sighed resignedly and opened the door. "Father".

"We have serious problems, son", Ivan announced directly as he walked through the door.

Andrian closed the door and turned around to face his dad. "What happened?".

The sixty seven year old gangster grabbed a bottle of vodka from his son's bar as he explained the situation. "Renee Walker is alive". Andrian looked properly alarmed. Ivan poured himself a drink as he continued informing his son with his normal dreary tone. No matter how he felt, Ivan's tone was always dreary and lifeless. "That dumb fat man failed. Jack Bauer rescued the woman".

The young gangster was visibly concerned. "And what happened to Laitanan?".

Ivan took a shot of Vodka and then answered his son's question. "Liev called me, apparently Laitanan was shot by Craig, One of Liev's men is taking him with Gordon Hamish as we speak".

"Joseph will be furious when he hears Walker is alive", Andrian pointed out worriedly, while getting a drink for himself.

The older gangster sighed with clear regret in his iceberg-blue eyes. He should have never agreed to work for that mysterious group of people Joseph lead. For the past few months Ivan's life had been about making Joseph happy. The sixty seven year old gangster, with a lot of work, had made it to the top of the branch of the crime syndicate Red Square that operated in the DC. Metropolitan area. And now he had to please some dude he didn't even know. People should be trying to please _him_, not Joseph. But what could he do? He was already up to his neck,

"He already heard about it", Ivan then told his only son blankly. "And he wants Laitanan dead".

Andrian was actually happy to hear that. "It was about time! The idiot failed twice. Not to mention he almost ruins everything by stalking Walker two months ago".

Ivan took a shot of Vodka and then put it down resolutely. "We'll have to call Liev to tell him to kill Laitanan".

"And what's going on with Craig?", the blonde young gangster wondered out loud.

"Liev's men have him. They are taking him to some place to kill him and bury him right now", Ivan informed coldly, as he refilled his drink.

Andrian was clearly pleased and raised his glass. "Finally good news".

Ivan shook his head disapprovingly. "As they say here… Don't count your chickens".

**04.05.29 – 04.05.30 – 04.05.31 – 04.05.32 PM**

**Pentagon City, Virginia – The Pentagon. **

Colonel Nora McNally was sitting outside the office of Secretary Dwayne Fenwick. She looked impeccable as always, with her long blonde hair tied up neatly in a perfect coil. She impatiently brushed with her palms the skirt of her Valentino pale grey skirt suit, as if to wipe some hair or dust from it. Naturally, her skirt, that reached five inches above her knees, was already immaculate. She just hated waiting. It made her anxious.

She looked at the closed door with a gold plaque that said `_Dwayne Fenwick. Secretary of Defense_' and couldn't help but to frown. She had little respect for Dwayne Fenwick, who had never even served in the military, like Allison Taylor.

Fenwik was a civilian who had attended the University of Wyoming, where he earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in political science. He started a PHD once, but dropped out. He started his political career in 1987, as an intern for old republican Congressman Angus Cordell. Then he was White House Staff Assistant and Deputy Assistant to the president until Clinton's administration. On 1992 he was elected congressman to represent the second district of Nebraska. He served there, in the house armed Services Committee, until 2013, when Wayne Palmer took office. He then became Deputy Secretary of Defense, Ethan Kanin's deputy. Both men worked for a democratic president in spite of being republicans. Kanin did that to serve his country; Fenwick did it to get ahead. And it served him well. When Allison Taylor took office, he was promoted to secretary of Defense. His confirmation was actually problematic because of his two arrests for DUI at the age of twenty two (before he "_found Jesus_"), but he was confirmed in the end.

Nora's thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. Admiral John Fredrick Smith emerged from Fenwick's office, accompanied by Fenwick himself. Both men shook hands. Dwayne greeted the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs cheerfully. "I'll see you tonight, Johnny".

Both men would meet at the Capitol to hear the State of the Union address. The seventy three year old admiral was actually anxious about the speech. "I can't wait to hear what our gal is planning to do. I requested an advanced copy of the address but it was denied".

"I think it's not even finished yet", the secretary of defense speculated.

"I guess it isn't. Well, I'll see you there, Dwayne", John concluded the talk and then formally greeted Nora with a nod. "Colonel".

Nora greeted him back. "Admiral". Then Admiral Smith left and Nora addressed politely the huge man before her. Dwayne was 6' 4" tall and weighed 250 pounds, which was why people called him ´_The Tower_´ behind his back. However Nora was not intimidated by him. She could be quite towering herself, being 6' 2" tall and weighing 160 pounds. "Mr. Secretary, how are you today?".

"Very well. Thank you", the secretary replied with a nod. "Would you like anything to drink?".

Nora masterly faked a sweet smile. "A coffee would be great".

Dwayne smiled back and then addressed one of his two assistants. "Lacey, bring us two coffees, would you?".

"Of course, sir", Lacey agreed. She was always sent to get coffee. The other assistant, Blake Eastman, got assigned more important tasks. Dwayne was a chauvinistic jerk who thought women could only type and serve coffee. But the job was still a great opportunity for Lacey.

The Secretary of Defense then gestured for Nora to enter his office. She walked in and he went right behind him.

As Dwayne sat behind his desk, Nora headed to sit across from him and discretely observed the pictures the secretary displayed in his office. There was one photo with George Bush Sr. in the Oval Office, taken when Dwayne was White House Staff Assistant in 1990. There was also a photo of him and a group of congressmen, when he was a congressman representing the second district of Nebraska, which he was from 2002 to 2013. In another photo, Dwayne was posing with Wayne Palmer and Ethan Kanin, when Kanin was Secretary of Defense and Dwayne was his deputy, a job for which he had left the House of Representatives a year before finishing his third term. And there was also a photo of Dwayne with Noah Daniels and another one with Allison Taylor. Then there was a photo of the two sons he had with his first wife and another one of the two daughters and a son he had with his second (and current) wife.

The secretary adopted a very serious expression and went straight to business. "So, Nora, Carlton tells me the white house won't listen to any my recommendations". His frown deepened. "And I'm deeply concerned. The Moss-Buchanan Act is bad enough. But there's also this anti-nuclear initiative nonsense. It will leave this nation vulnerable".

Nora feigned confusion. "Why exactly? All we want is to reduce the stockpile by half and shut down two nuclear facilities. Pantex, in Amarillo and Portsmouth Plant, that's near Portsmouth, Ohio. We will still have plenty of nuclear bombs left to defend our selves…. 3,215".

"How do you know those will be enough?", Dwayne asked with a very serious expression.

Nora's almond emerald eyes instantly widened in genuine surprise. She couldn't believe that man was so stupid. She cleared her throat awkwardly to avoid a chuckle. "Sir… those 3.125 warheads have the capacity to destroy humanity nine times. _Nine"_. Nora gestured with her hands like saying _Ain't-that-crazy_. "Like we can destroy more than once". She shook her head and then leaned forward to continue defending her point passionately. "And did you know that, according to every expert, we can only use _sixteen_ of those warheads without the radiation affecting _us_?".

She didn't really approve the initiative. But she had to defend it vigorously to please Jack, Renee, the president and earn their very valuable trust. So far, she was doing a good job earning Jack's trust, although Allison and Renee weren't big fans of hers.

Dwayne frowned angrily. "I know all that. I read the reports. I can read, you know?".

'_Then what's your fucking problem'_, Nora wanted to ask. Of course, she kept her polite tone. "Then you know that if we use more than sixteen warheads we could end up destroying ourselves. A defense that could result in the destruction of the defending nation makes no sense to me".

"For God's sake, Nora", the fifty four secretary protested rather loudly. Then he leaned forward and lowered his deep tone of voice, as if he were telling her a secret. "Nobody is saying that we should actually use them. We should keep them to intimidate. To get other nations to fear us".

"You know the costs of _keeping them_?", Nora asked rhetorically. "We are spending roughly _twenty seven billion_ annually to maintain far more strategic nuclear warheads than the 16 we can use without destroying ourselves". She puffed and then continued arguing. "Imagine all we could do with the money we would save. We have the intervention in Sangala, the intervention in Libya and Sudan. Not to mention that we have to protect ourselves from Iran. It all costs money. We need the extra money to defend ourselves, but with weapons that won't destroy us".

She concluded her argument, crossed her arms in front of her chest, rested her back against the back of the chair and looked at Dwayne defiantly, like daring him to refute her arguments.

The Secretary of Defense didn't know what else to say, so there was an awkward silence for a moment. Right then, Lacey walked in carrying two cups of coffee on a tray. She gave one cup to the secretary and another one to the Colonel.

Dwayne gave her a sort-of condescending smile. "Thank you, sweetheart".

Nora gave the assistant her classical sweet smile. "Thank you". Then her eyes were nailed in Dwayne again. Her emerald-green eyes met his slate-grey eyes. The secretary's small hooded eyes looked darker somehow. His expression was very severe.

After the assistant left the room, Dwayne drank a zip of his coffee and carelessly addressed the Deputy national Security advisor. "I'm not going to change my mind".

The sexy woman leaned forward and spoke softly, like telling him a big secret. "I never expected you to".

The secretary narrowed his eyes with suspicion. "Then, what is it that you want from me?".

"We know you have scheduled an interview with '_Human Events_' for tomorrow, and one with _WorldNetDaily_ (_WND_). You will also go on '_60 minutes_' and '_Capital beat_'", Nora said with a very accusing tone. 'Human events' was an ultra-conservative magazine and WND was a web site that publishes news and associated content also from a conservative perspective

Dwayne pretended he didn't know what the problem was. Even his slate-grey eyes seemed paler now, reflecting nothing but innocence. "Am I not allowed to give interviews?".

Nora gave him a look that said '_don't-even-try-that-with-me_'. "Mr. Secretary… you know very well that it's not about you giving interviews. It's about what you will say on those interviews".

Again, there was false confusion in Dwayne's rounded face. "And what's that?".

Nora became deadly serious and her scowl never left her perfect delicate features. "You're going to criticize the president, harshly. You're going to talk about how you strongly disapprove the initiative".

The immense secretary shrugged dismissively, like it was no big deal. "I see nothing wrong with that. I'm simply giving my honest opinion. I am allowed to have opinions, am I?".

"You're supposed to be a member of her cabinet!", Nora practically yelled with outrage. Dwayne seemed shocked by her tone. She instantly realized who she was talking to and lowered her head. "…Sir". But she didn't look down for long. She never did. She immediately looked up to him again. "You can't publicly criticize the president. How do you think it's going to look that a member of her cabinet is against her initiative?".

Dwayne rested his back on the back of his chair, folded his arms in front of his huge abdomen and pierced Nora with his eyes. "Why do you or Jack Bauer care about public image problems? Why isn't Caldwell Coleman or Angela Nelson talking to me about that?".

"Because they thought you would respect more the opinion of someone like Jack, who has dedicated his life to defend this country against foreign and domestic enemies", Nora explained plainly. "If he tells you the country will be safe, even safer, with less nuclear weapons…".

The secretary interrupted her sharply. "But he's not here",

"He was busy saving her fiancée from the lunatic who kidnapped her", Nora pointed out. She didn't add '_asshole_' but she so wanted to. She bit her thin lower lip instead.

Dwayne raised his thick eyebrows. "Fiancée?". Nora simply nodded. The secretary just puffed as saying '_Go figure'_. "I didn't think they were serious. I mean, the uptight self-righteous FBI chick with a former CTU agent like Bauer, with the stomach and balls to do what's necessary".

Nora once again had to clear her throat to suppress a chuckle. She knew the truth about Renee Walker. She knew Renee was actually a crazy, and kind of slutty, torturer and murderer. But nobody knew that the Deputy national security Advisor was so well informed.

The secretary kept thinking out loud. "I guess now I know why someone like Bauer is working for a libertarian like Allison Taylor. He's being manipulated by his woman". He shook his head disapprovingly.

The woman didn't say anything about the Chief of staff and Jack Bauer. She simply took the conversation back to the right path. "Anyway, I wanted to talk to you nevertheless. You and I know each other well, Dwayne". She was using his first name for the first time. From 2011 to 2013 she served as a senior foreign policy advisor to then Congressman Fenwik. On 2013 Fenwik became Deputy Secretary of defence and Nora became foreign policy advisor to then Senator from Pennsylvania, Owen Bradley, a dear friend of her dad. "You used to listen to me".

"That was before you became Jack Bauer's lap dog", Dwayne told her harshly.

Nora was mortally offended and outraged, even though the secretary was not exactly wrong. But she was only pretending to be Jack's lap dog as a way to achieving her own goals. Regardless of the truth in Dwayne's word, her pride had been wounded. The tall woman stood up quickly. "This conversation is no longer productive. I'll see you in the address".

**04.12.39 – 04.12.40 – 04.12.41 – 04.12.42 PM**

Jack was driving fast his black Ford mustang in direction to Annandale, Virginia. Chloe had tracked down Leo's cell phone and figured out Leo's location. Jack silently thanked God for his best friend. As he drove, his cellphone began ringing. Without stopping the vehicle, he looked at the caller ID screen, which said ´_Nora McNally_´. He instantly took the call from his deputy. "Yes?".

Nora was walking quickly down the pentagon's hallways, walking away from the secretary's office. "Hey, Jack. Look, I've just had the meeting with Fenwik".

Jack looked at his wristwatch and was surprised. "You're already done? How did that go?".

As she kept walking in direction to the parking lot, the deputy sighed heavily. "Not good".

Jack kept driving and scowled. "What happened?".

"He's going to fight the president on this", Nora stated.

Jack was beyond outraged. "Damn it! He's a member of her cabinet".

"I reminded him of that", Nora told him. "Believe me, there's no reasoning with that nutjob". She sighed again in resignation. "I tried my best, Jack".

"I know", Jack whispered the words as usual.

Nora loved it when Jack whispered. His velvety voice was really nice. But she quickly shook her head and stayed focused on her work. "Anyway, when will you get to the White House?".

"I don't know", Jack admitted.

"Are you with Renee?", Nora asked with her usual mellow understanding tone.

"I'm not. I'm…". Jack stopped himself before saying another word. He hesitated for a moment. Should he tell Nora about Leo? Like Renee, Nora would be obligated to notify the authorities and send the FBI to Leo's location. But maybe that wasn't such a bad idea after all. The FBI could help save Leo and arrest those Russians. Yet, he finally decided not to tell Nora. "I have to take care of a thing in Foggy Bottom. Look, I'll be in the White House as soon as I can".

"That's okay", Nora reassured him. "I have things under control here".

Jack was sincerely moved by his deputy's willingness to help. "Thank you, Nora. I appreciate everything that you're doing for me today".

Nora smiled like a cat that had eaten a canary. "You're more than welcome".

They then disconnected the call. Jack put his cellphone away and kept driving fast with his eyes on the road.

Meanwhile, Nora reached a pentagon's security checkpoint and handed her visitor's badge.

**04.14.05 – 04.14.06 – 04.14.07 – 04.14.08 PM**

**Annandale, Virginia.**

Akim Yudasi was driving his vehicle, still looking for the proper place to kill and bury Leon Craig. Finally, he saw a sign that said that a construction was ahead. And, indeed, therewas a large road construction site where the road was being widened with more lanes. Apparently, the workers had finished for the day. There was nobody around.

The Russian gangster parked his black Audi A3 around the dirt zone that was protected by construction cones and fences. He got out of the vehicle and his two minions, brothers Seymon and Iosef Gudovich, did the same. With their silenced Beretta M9 guns ready, they opened the trunk.

Leo was now conscious and winced when the daylight hit his eyes. He also coughed because he had almost run out of air in that trunk. He looked up and found himself with three guns pointed at his head.

"Get out", Akim ordered coldly.

Not having much choice. Leo got out of the car. Almost simultaneously, the two goons grabbed him with one hand, taking one arm each, as they kept their guns aimed at his head with the other hand. They practically dragged him to the middle of the construction site. Leo then noticed that Akim was carrying a shovel.

Akim harshly threw the shovel at Leo. "Start digging".

Leo instinctively caught the shovel in the air and just looked at Akim blankly.

"I don't feel like digging a grave. You'll do it". Akim practically spited out the words with disgust.

Leo just stared at the gangsters for a few seconds. Then he decided to humor his captor. He knew Jack Bauer was on his way to rescue him. He just had to buy some time. He couldn't die yet. He still had to make justice for the woman he loved. So, he very slowly began to, literally, dig his own grave.

_Leo kept digging as the gangsters watched him. Akim began smoking carelessly while waiting. _

_At the same time, Dwayne Fenwik was watching the news in the giant TV screen with a frown. _

_Meanwhile, Nora was driving her car back to the white house, also with a big frown on her face._

_Simultaneously, Andrian was driving his flashy red Porche. _

**04.16.32 – 04.16.33 – 04.16.34 – 04.16.35 PM**

**04.18.40 – 04.18.41 – 04.18.42 – 04.18.43 PM**

_Andrian arrived to his father's restaurant in Georgetown, P St. and the 33rd._

_In that moment, Ivan arrived to the restaurant as well in his own car. _

_In the meantime, Leo kept digging his own grave while the three gangsters watched._

_Right then, Dwayne Fenwik was observing in his computer a map with the positions of the American troops in the Middle East and Africa. He was not pleased. _

**04.18.55 – 04.18.56 – 04.18.57 – 04.18.58 PM**

**Washington DC. – House in Salem Ln. 4467.**

Gordon Hamish was simply sitting in the kitchen of his house, having a coffee as he used his computer to find a date. His wife had left him, taking his two kids with her, rather recently. He was desperate to get laid. He decided to update the photo of his dating profile and put a photo in which he appeared without his thick glasses, so the girls could appreciate his almond deep-set granite-grey eyes. The skinny, short, nerdy-looking and black-haired man considered himself quite attractive. At the age of 47 he looked young enough to pass for about thirty six.

He had a lot of free time to look for some hot babe. He worked as a doctor for the Russian and Italian mob. The gangsters brought him fellow gangsters who couldn't go to a hospital. He mostly removed bullets, treated stab wounds, drug over doses, broken bones or head injuries from a beating. He never asked questions. He normally had only two or three patients a week but they paid him very well. He had graduated from Saint Thomas University, in Texas and ultimately became an attending in a hospital in LA. However, he had a severe drug problem, he regularly used heroin and cocaine, and the AMA found out, so he lost his medical license. He had to work at a video store for a while. Until, one night, just when he was heading to a bar, he ran into a guy who had just been shot. The man refused strongly to go to a hospital and threatened to shot him if he called 911, so Gordon treated him himself with whatever he had in his home. That wounded man happened to be Liev Mastrosov, a very important Russian gangster who worked for Ivan Jacobi and, just like that, Doctor Hamish was practicing medicine again.

As Gordon updated his dating-profile, the doorbell rang. He left what he was doing and went to see who it was. He looked through the peephole and saw that Kirill Losev was there with a very fat guy. The doctor had treated Kirill before. He had treated him for a VD, a nasty cut and for several broken bones. But the doctor didn't know who the other guy was. It was an immense man who weighed 480 pounds and was six feet tall, had short brown hair and small, deep-set, steel-blue eyes. The giant was sweating and seemed to have a nasty wound on the left shoulder. The thin doctor opened the door right away.

Kirill and Igor hurried to get into the doctor's house, after checking that nobody was looking. Igor immediately sat without even asking permission and winced, feeling a lot of pain. The younger gangster addressed Gordon, "Doc, my friend here was shot. We need your help".

"It looks like it", Gordon commented with a sympathetic smile. He then addressed the giant. "Please, follow me". The obese man unhappily stood up and followed the doctor. Gordon led him to another room, which had a hospital bed and all the medial supplies.

Kirill sat down in the living room area, to wait until Igor was ready. He then decided to call his direct boss, Akim Yudasi, to tell him that Laitanan was at the doctor's. However, when he put the hand in his pocket to get his cell phone, he realized that it was not there. He then searched in his other pocket. It wasn't there either., He realized he had lost his cellphone when they were abducting Leon Craig. He must have dropped it. "Damn it".

The young ganster stood up and headed to where the doctor was. Gordon was prepping Igor for the removal of the bullet. "Hey, doc", Kirill said. Then the doctor and the patient looked at him. "I need to borrow your phone".

"Okay. It's over there", Gordon pointed his index finger at a phone that was attached to the wall right in the room they were in at that moment. Then he continued treating the patient.

Kirill took the receiver of the phone and dialed Akim's phone number.

**04.21.42 – 04.21.43 – 04.21.44 – 04.21.45 PM**

**Annandale, Virginia.**

At that moment, Akim was smoking his second cigarette as he and his minions watched Leo dig the grave. As he smoked, his cell phone rang. He rapidly took the phone call. "Yes?".

"It's me", Kirill simply announced.

Akim's demin-blue eyes narrowed with anger. "Where the hell are you? We have been calling you. I left like ten messages".

Kirill scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I lost my cell. It must have felt when we took Craig. I dunno".

"Are you with Laitanan?", Akim asked grumpily.

What he said called Leo's attention. He looked at Akim while digging. Seymon noticed that and scolded the American brusquely. "What are you looking at? Keep digging!".

"Yes. Yes. We are at Gordon's", Kirill informed Akim over the phone.

Akim walked then away from where Iosef and Seymon were watching Leo dig. "Listen, Kirill… things have changed. I got a call from Liev. He says Ivan wants Laitanan dead".

Kirill raised his eyebrows with mild surprise. "He does?". He then looked at Igor Laitanan. The doctor was starting to remove the bullet.

"He failed to take out Walker twice", Akim stated as an explanation.

"Yeah. That's true", Kirill acknowledged as he kept looking at Igor a bit awkwardly.

"So, I need you to take care of him", Akim ordered.

The younger gangster obviously didn't argue. "Okay. I'll do it".

"I'll see you when it's done", Akim said dryly and disconnected the call.

Igor then gave the younger gangster a suspicious look. Something about Kirill's expression was odd. The little guy looked too nervous and awkward. "Do what?"

"Akim has new weapons for you and I have to take you to his house so you can, uh, take them", Kirill lied in a second. But he didn't do a very good job. He felt very nervous. "Uh, he also has intel that will help you finally take out Walker".

Igor wasn't entirely convinced. But, for the moment, he decided to accept it. "That's good to know".

The obese gangster kept a vigilant eye on the little gangster. Then he noticed that Kirill was about to take his Beretta M9 gun. In an instant, Igor realized what was going on. The leaders of the mob wanted him dead for failing to kill Walker. He hadn't risen from being a goon to leader of the Russian mob operating in London for nothing. He had made it to the top because he was smart and he was very skilled. Even though he had failed with Walker, he had personally killed one thousand and two men in the past forty two years, the first one at the age of fifteen. He had beaten his own late dad, who had killed nine hundredth and ten people, and late Vladimir, who had personally killed six hundredth and eighty. To be fair, Vlad didn't have as much time as Igor to kill. Igor was seventeen years older.

Kirill took his gun, cocked it and aimed it at Igor's chest. But before the young gangster could do any other move, Igor took his HK USP Compact side gun and shot at Kirill directly in the head.

The young gangster never even knew what hit him. Kirill Losev fell flat dead to the floor with his eyes still opened. Just like that, Igor Laitanan reached his murder one thousand and three.

Dr. Hamish was in deep shock. He stared at the obese patient with his granite-grey eyes opened like plates and his mouth quite opened as well. The scalpel he was holding nearly fell from his trembling hand.

Igor aimed at the doctor's head with his gun. "Come on! Aren't you going to fix me?".

"Of course", Gordon agreed promptly, feeling a bit scared. He nervously took one quick look at Kirill's body. Then he continued to treat the patient.

Then an idea suddenly crossed Igor's mind. "Wait!". The doctor stopped instantly. The Russian man took a memory card from his pocket.

It was the memory card he had stolen from Jason Pillar. It had evidence against Yuri Suvarov and Mikail Novakovich. It definitely proved that those men had plotted to have Omar Hassan killed and had provided nuclear material to Kamistani radicals. It was something that could protect Igor.

Igor handed the memory card to Gordon. "Can you implant this in my shoulder, while you're at it?".

The doctor examined the card, and then he examined the wound in the patient's right shoulder one more time. Then he looked back at Igor. "I don't see why not".

**04.23. 54 – 04.23.55 – 04.23.56 – 04.23.57 PM**

**Suitland- Silver Hill, Maryland. – Howe Av. and Lewis Av. – Brendan Marson's apartment**

Former Special Forces Captain Brendan Marson and the sexy assassin known as Mandy finally arrived to Brendan's big luxurious apartment in Maryland. They walked into the living room and saw four of his men. They were sitting on a large red couch watching a football match, drinking beer and eating sandwiches.

The biggest of the men was called Chad Atworth, who was 56 years old, like Brendan, and was from England. Chad had served in the British army and now did Brendan's dirty work. His specialties were urban warfare and hand-to-hand combat.

Another British man, who was sitting next to Chad, was Brigham 'Briggs' Dawson, Brendan's favorite. He a 53 year old man who had also served in the British army and was now doing dirty work for Brendan. He was and expert in urban warfare and hand-to-hand combat. Besides, he could speak Arabic quite well. He was big and strong like a football player, but not as big as Chad.

Next to Briggs sat Drake Covington, also American, the most attractive of them all. He was 40 years old, tall and skinny like a basketball player. He also did dirty work. His specialty was sniping, and he knew karate. He could also speak Arabic. He used to be in the Special Forces, but he had been abandoned by his government in an Iraqi prison for several months, like Jack Bauer had been abandoned in china, so Drake had gone rogue.

Next to Drake sat Ross Kinkaid, the youngest of them all, with only 30 years old. He was a meaningless pawn for Brendan. Ross was not the brightest crayon in the box, but he was a huge guy with a lot of muscle, so he was useful to do dirty work. He could easily break someone's bones.

Brendan noticed his men were drinking beer and got very upset. He brusquely took the can of beer Ross was holding from the young man's hands. "What did I say?". He yelled the question looking directly at Ross. Then he looked at the others, who were also drinking beer, and repeated the question yelling even more loudly. "What did say!". Nobody answered and nobody looked at Brendan in the eye. "No beer today! Not today, damn it! We need to keep our heads clear!". Then he calmed down slightly and puffed. "Geez, we are not alcoholics like those fucking Russians".

"I'm sorry, Brendan", Ross said softly.

"Yes, man. We are sorry", Briggs apologized. Not that he was truly sorry, but because Brendan could be very dangerous when he was unhappy.

Then Drake stood up and patted Brendan on the shoulder. "We are all sorry. But, relax, nobody here is drunk, we just drank a little bit". Then he addressed the beautiful woman who had walked into the room with Brendan. "So, you must be Mandy". He automatically adopted a flirting tone. "You know? I'm a big fan of your work and even a bigger fan of your body".

All the men were now staring at the lady with a beautiful face and hot body.

Mandy smiled sensually at Drake. She loved nothing more than seduce men, or women. She just loved controlling people in general with her sexuality. It gave the thirty seven year old woman an amazing sense of power. She had felt vulnerable and powerless when she was little and her own grandpa beat her and raped her often. But now _she_ was in charge. She had an incredible power. She was very aware of her beauty. She looked stunning even though she was wearing a short, strawberry-red wig and pale-green contact glasses. She could have whoever she wanted whenever and wherever she wanted.

The beautiful lethal woman got closer to Drake until her face was just inches away from his. "You are, aren't you?".

Brendan frowned, not liking what he was seeing. The tall blonde man did not like the lack of professionalism. Today was a very-very important day for his small group of mercenaries. They were going to pull the ultimate hit. Something so big that it would bring the government down to its knees and it would shock the world to the core.

"I know every Clyde needs a Bonnie. But you two can screw tomorrow", the former Captain admonished both of them with a severe tone and look. Then he addressed just Drake. "Where are the others?".

Drake was just scowling angrily with his lips pressed together and said nothing. So Briggs rushed to reply for his buddy. "In the studio".

The gang's leader acknowledged the information with a nod, exchanged angry glares with Drake and then looked at Mandy. "Come with me", he barked grumpily.

The sexy assassin gave Drake another seductive smile and then followed Brendan to another room. That other room was a very large studio. It had two desks with two computers and two large tables. Over those tables, Mandy noticed, there were the necessary elements to manufacture a bomb. She also noticed a photo of Nolan and Jesse Marson, Brendan's two sons. Mandy was well informed and knew that Jesse had died in Iraq on 2002 after being taken hostage because the government wouldn't negotiate with the captors. Nolan was alive and part of the gang.

A thirty-something nerdy cute petite woman was working with one of the computers. She had chartreuse-green eyes and medium-brown hair that had blond highlights. She was Theodora "Teddy" Blackstone. She slept with Brendan even though he was twenty years older. Teddy was so much more than a pretty face. She was the computer genius of the gang. She and Brendan were the brains of the gang, although Brendan was brain plus muscle.

A nerdy short American man with glasses was working by one of the tables. At that moment he was busy manufacturing TATP (triacetone triperoxide) with hair bleach, nail polish and sulfuric acid. His name was Mason Butcher. He had a PHD in chemistry and was a bomb expert like Brendan.

Nolan Marson was working on the other table. He was thirty one and had blonde hair and electric blue big eyes, like his father, only that Nolan's hair was a bit longer and wavy. Right then the young mercenary was busy manufacturing ammonal, the main explosive, with a fertilizer and TNT.

"How is this going?", Brendan asked brusquely, without greeting anybody. "We don't have a lot of time".

"Relax, dad. We'll make it in time", Nolan tried to reassure his dad. Then she looked at the sexy lady in the room. Like Drake, Nolan got in flirting mode. "Mandy, I presume? It's a pleasure to finally meet you".

"You must be Brendan's son", Mandy said with a smile. "I can tell because your beautiful blue eyes are just like your dad's". In reality, she had seen a photo of Nolan. But flirting couldn't hurt.

Brendan made them focus on what was important. "Teddy, Mandy needs you to color and cut her hair".

Teddy then stood up and nodded. "All right". She then directed her look at Mandy. "And I got those amber-brown contact glasses you need". Next she looked at Brendan again. "Bren, Brooke called". Brendan actually knew Brooke's real name, but nobody else did. "I'm afraid I have bad news. Renee Walker is alive. Igor Laitanan failed".

Brendan shrugged indifferently. "Who cares? That doesn't affect us. She's going to die tonight anyway".

"Joseph cares", Teddy pointed out worriedly.

Mandy didn't doubt it. "I bet he does".

"He's pretty pissed", the cute nerdy woman confirmed.

"He'll be even more pissed if we fail", Brendan stated. "So, you two move! Go get the hair done!".

Teddy raised her hands defensively, used to Brendan's temper. "Okay… Okay". Next she addressed the beautiful assassin. "I'll do your hair in the bathroom".

"I need to call my Secret Service contact first", Mandy told the cute petite woman.

Teddy nodded. "Go ahead".

Mandy took her cellphone and dialed a number.

"_Yes?_", a male voice said.

"It's me", Mandy told the mole in the Secret Service. "I'm here but I need more time. I still have to do my hair".

There was a short pause until the man on the other side of the line replied. "_I can say your plane got delayed. But don't take more than an hour_".

"We'll meet at the capitol soon enough", Mandy assured him and hung up the phone.

_The sexy assassin followed Teddy to the bathroom. _

_In that moment, Jack was driving his vehicle, heading to rescue Leo. _

_Simultaneously, in his office, Dr. Hamish kept treating Igor._

_At that same time, Leo was still digging a grave very-very slowly. He looked anxiously around, wondering where the hell Jack was. _

**04.27. 51 – 04.27.52 – 04.27.53 – 04.27.54 PM**

**04.31.33 – 04.31.34 – 04.31.35 – 04.31.36 PM**

_In his studio, Brendan was now working on the bomb along with Nolan and Mason._

_Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Teddy was carefully coloring Mandy's hair. _

_Right then, Andrian and Ivan were cooking at their restaurant. _

_At that moment, Leo was pretending to be too tired from digging and took a little break The Russians were not very happy bout it . _

**04.31.48 – 04.31.49 – 04.31.50 – 04.31.51 PM**

**Washington DC. – The White House. **

In the Oval Office, President Allison Taylor was with Caldwell Coleman, George Sullivan and Ethan Kanin working on the state of the union address. She was rehearsing the part about the anti-Nuclear Proliferation act. She was standing up and reciting the speech while the others were sitting down listening attentively. "And for those who think that by having nuclear bombs we'll dissuade our enemy, may I remind you that six years ago we were attacked by a nuclear bomb, while possessing the biggest nuclear arsenal in the world".

Then Ethan interrupted gently to give his input. "We should use the exact date. Sounds stronger"

Caldwell nodded, examined his copy of the speech and added his own input. "And I think we should change _attacked _for _stricken_"

After that, Allison recited passionately the same part of the speech with the new changes. "May I remind you that on April 6th of 2013 we were _stricken_ by a nuclear bomb, while possessing the biggest nuclear arsenal in the world".

George was not pleased at all. "Stricken by a nuclear bomb?". He puffed and shook his head. "That sounds like it was the bomb's fault. We should say it clearly like it was…. On April 6th of 2013 Abu Fayed obliterated Valencia".

Allison was slightly taken aback by those words. The words were true, but too brusque. The nuclear strike had left a wound in America's heart that would never heal. Those harsh words could disturb the still-grieving nation. "That's too much, George".

Ethan was saddened by the mention of the attack. He couldn't help but to feel partially responsible for it, since he was the Secretary of Defense at the time and failed to prevent the attack. But he hid his emotions and gave a suggestion with a professional tone. "How about… on April 6th of 2013 Abu Fayed struck us with a nuclear bomb?".

"That's better", George agreed weakly.

Nobody argued with him. Then, Susan Murray, one of the president's assistants, came into the room with an announcement. "Madam President, Renee is on line one".

Allison's face lighted up. She hadn't had the chance to talk to Renee yet. She rushed to stand behind her desk, grabbed the phone and put Renee on the speaker. She couldn't hide her excitement. "Renee, hi. You're on the speaker. I'm with Ethan, George and Cal. Tell us, how are you?".

Renee was lying on her hospital bed while she talked to Allison. "I'm okay, ma'am. I don't have any broken bone. Just a mild concussion and a cut in my leg. But I'm fine. I'll be back in the white House as soon as I can".

George's smile reached his heavy-lidded steel-grey eyes. Then he puffed and shook his head, genuinely impressed. "Jesus, Renee… you have more lives than a cat".

"We are all glad you're okay", Ethan told her honestly. "We have been praying for you".

Renee was genuinely moved by their concern. "Thank you".

The president leaned over her desk and talked to her chief of staff. "Renee, we heard your attacker was actually Igor Laitanan, like we suspected all along. Could you find out anything new about that man?".

"Only that he was the one who hit me with the car in Colorado, ma'am", Renee told her. Next she sighed and then addressed the communications director. "Cal? We need to release a statement. We have to clear Dylan Whitmore's name".

"I'll work on it", Caldwell assured her promptly.

"The FBI's main priority will be finding Laitanan", Allison stated with a commanding tone. "Until we find him, two secret service agents will escort you all the time".

The idea of having two people following her around made Renee uncomfortable, so she quickly began to object. "Madam President, that's not really ne…",

Allison interrupted the younger woman sharply. "This is not a request, Renee, but an order".

"With all due respect, madam president, I was an FBI agent. I don't need…", Renee insisted weakly.

Allison frowned angrily. She was about to lose her temper. Being the President of the United States, she didn't hear the word 'no' often. "Renee, I have twelve bodyguards and that's when I'm inside this building. You can live with two".

Renee was not happy about it, but she obviously had to obey her president. "You're right, Ma'am".

The president then decided to end the call now that she had gotten what she wanted. "Alright, then. I'll see you when you get here".

"Thank you, Madam President", Renee said politely before hanging up unhappily.

**04.35.09 – 04.35.10 – 04.35.11 – 04.35.12 PM**

Renee sighed with resignation written all over her features and rested her back on her pillow. Then Zoe O'Malley Forrest walked into the room. The twenty year old assistant was carrying a bunch of folders and a navy-blue Ralph Lauren skirt suit.

Renee greeted with a half-smile. "Hey, Zoe". The two women had spoken over the phone, but they hadn't seen each other since before the kidnapping.

"Ms. Walker…". The young woman greeted her boss back with a smile that reached her aquamarine eyes. She was very happy to see Renee alive. Next she quickly left the suit at the foot of Renee's bed.

The very sensitive young girl got then too emotional to talk. Merely imagining the pain Renee had gone through made her flinch. The older woman had a dark-purple bruise shaped like a half-moon on the left side of her freckled face. It went from the temple to the chin. Renee also had two puffy purple circles under her eyes. There were also older bruises caused by the incident in Colorado: a purple circle above her right eyebrow and a bigger purple circle on the right cheek. The one on the cheek had been close to fading, but now it had gotten worse. Renee also had bruises in her arms, which were exposed since she was wearing only a hospital gown. She had purple circles caused by Igor brusquely injecting her Hyroxine-Pentoral and bracelet-shaped bruises from Igor brusquely grabbing her arms. .

And that was only the damage Zoe could see.

"How are you?", Zoe finally asked timidly.

Renee reached out her hand and squeezed Zoe's to reassure the young woman. "I'm fine".

"I'm so glad", Zoe told her sincerely. "I prayed for you. Eric too".

Renee gave another smile that didn't reach her crystal-blue eyes. "Thank you".

Zoe then took a seat next to Renee's bed and proceeded to brief her boss. "You didn't have clean suits in your office, so I had to go to your house. I took three suits, one for now and two to keep in the office". Renee nodded approvingly. "And you said you wanted to review the latest draft of the state of the union. But Mr. Coleman said he's still polishing the language".

Renee took the folder in Zoe's hands and nodded again. "Yeah. They told me Caldwell is a perfectionist and would finish the speech ten seconds before the president has to give it".

"Is this how it normally works?", Zoe wondered out loud. "The speech is finished at the last minute?".

"I wouldn't know", Renee admitted. "This is my first".

Zoe then moved on to other news. "By the way, Mr. Sullivan wants you to know that he picked Laura Torrence as designated survivor". She bit her lower lip. Sensitive Zoe was still a bit freaked because she had found out a few hours ago about the designated survivor policy, which dictated that a cabinet member had to stay in a secured location during events like the state of the union or the inauguration, just in case a catastrophe hit the capitol killing everyone.

Renee nodded approvingly. "That's okay".

The assistant didn't think it was okay at all. "But she's the Secretary of energy. If they blow up the capitol, won't we need someone like the Secretary of State, Defense or homeland security?".

"We want Secretary Heller, Secretary Fenwik and Secretary Woods to be seen at the capitol, supporting the president. They are the most popular members of the cabinet", Renee explained patiently.

"So, if everyone dies the Secretary of Energy will be the president", Zoe concluded worriedly.

"I'm sure she's more than capable", Renee assured Zoe with a careless tone. Unlike the younger woman, Renee didn't take the formality of choosing a designated survivor too seriously. She though there was no way something could happen to the capitol.

"That won't matter to you, you'd be dead", Zoe pointed out smoothly.

Renee remained unfazed. She didn't believe in such scenario. But she decided to tease Zoe. "The bright side is that America would have the first black female president". Her lip curbed in a half smile. The younger woman clearly didn't find her amusing. Renee just sighed. "Zoe, please, let this go. We'll be okay".

Zoe decided to let it go, since her boss wanted her to. She simply changed the topic. "Like you requested, you have a meeting with the senators in two hours".

"I'm gonna need to talk to the president before that", Renee told her.

Zoe acknowledged with a nod and wrote something in a notepad.

**04.38.13 – 04.38.14 – 04.38.15 – 04.38.16 PM**

**Annandale, Virginia.**

In the construction site, Leo was still digging his own grave. Akim was watching with a scowl since the American was taking too long. His Beretta M9 gun was ready to be shot if Leo tried something funny. Akim's goons, Seymon and Iosef were also watching as they smoked some Lucky Strike cigarettes they had stolen from Leo's backpack. Their guns were also prepared to be used.

Leo's mind was working hard, trying to come up with a way to escape from his desperate situation. For the moment, all he could do was buy time. He stopped digging and pretended to be tired again.

Akim was losing his patience. "Come on! Keep digging!", he barked.

"I haven't dug a grave in years. I'm out of practice, you see?", Leo claimed, somewhat with a mocking tone. He had actually dug one a year ago, when he still worked undercover with the Russian mob. It was for a guy who tried to rip him off. He had to kill him to protect his own reputation. Nobody could mess with him. Normally, the Russian gang threw the bodies in the Potomac River, or the East River. But that night he had found nearby the perfect place to bury a body and decided to use it.

Akim finally had enough of Craig's bullshit. "You know what? I think that grave is big enough".

Leo widened his almond hazel eyes and straightened his back feeling alarmed. They were going to kill him right then. Truth be told, the idea of dying didn't upset him. It would stop the overwhelming pain he felt in his heart. Nevertheless, he didn't want to die before punishing the people who had taken Liz away from him. Yet, he couldn't really do anything. He had to accept his fate.

Akim aimed his gun at his prisoner. "Come on! Turn around. On your knees".

Leo looked at him in disbelief. "You seriously think I'm gonna get on my knees?". He left the shovel on the ground and took a few steps towards Akim defiantly. "I kneel for no man".

"Fine", Akim spitted out.

He raised his gun and aimed it at Leo's face.

All the sudden, a black Ford mustang appeared out of nowhere.

Jack drove his vehicle fast into the construction site. He spotted a brown-haired man aiming his gun at Leo's face. He also spotted two young men with black hair watching the scene. Jack didn't hesitate. He increased the speed of his vehicle and hit those two young men.

Akim was distracted by what was going on, so Leo grabbed the shovel and hit the Russian with it. Akim dropped his weapon.

Jack got out of the vehicle and saw Iosef was on the ground, injured but alive, and trying to reach for a gun, while Seymon was on the floor, apparently dead.

Jack rushed to grab the guy from the arms and forced him to stand up. He then punched him in the nose, making his nose bleed. Then the Russian punched back, making Jack's nose bleed as well. Jack punched the young guy again with his right hand, next he hit the black-haired gangster in the stomach repeatedly. Iosef felt to the ground and Jack kicked him harshly. The young man then lost consciousness.

Jack then grabbed Seymon's and Iosef's pistols. After that he looked at Leo. His Aquamarine-green eyes widened in horror. Leo was brutally hitting the brown-haired gangster with a shovel. Jack Bauer was more than used to violence, but he hated to see that Leo was in so much pain that became pure rage. He was truly concerned.

At the beginning, he had disliked and distrusted Leo. But Renee loved that man like a brother. Those two were so tight that Elizabeth called them _'The dark_ _twins_'. Renee and Leo had met on 2012, when she started working undercover with Vladimir. From 2014 to 2018 they couldn't stay in touch much, because of Leo's work. During that period they had only seen each other a few times and exchanged a couple of e-mails. But after Renee killed Vladimir, she and Leo became closer than ever, even shared Renee's manor for a couple of months. Since Leo was so close to Renee, Jack had grown to care about the guy too.

Jack hurried, grabbed Leo from behind and tried to pull him away from Akim. "Stop! Stop!". Then he shouted the one thing that could make Leo reason. "If you kill him he won't be able to tell us what he knows!".

But it was too late. Akim was dead.

The two men looked at the dead body dismayed. Leo realized he had made a huge mistake. What would they do now to get information? He bit his lower lip trying to think of something. Soon, he and Jack noticed Iosef waking up.

"He can tell us everything we need to know", the man with hazel eyes and wavy chestnut-brown hair stated. "Go get my backpack. It's in that black Audi". He pointed at Akim's car. Jack nodded in agreement and went to do as told, knowing they needed supplies.

Leo grabbed Iosef brusquely and hit him in the stomach with a knee. He yelled the questions that came to his head. "Who are you people? Why are you protecting Igor Laitanan? Who do you work for?".

The young gangster said nothing. He kicked Leo as hard as possible. Leo was furious. He tackled the black-haired man down, restrained him remained on top of him and punched him repeatedly while the guy was on the ground. While he was at it, he stole the Swiss army knife the gangster kept in the pocket.

Then Jack came with Leo backpack and threw it at him. Leo caught it on the air and got the handcuffs. First of all, he took off Iosef's heavy coat and the sweater so the gangster would get cold. Next he tied Iosef to a large pillar. Because the pillar was rather thick, Iosef felt a lot of pain in his back and the January air was freezing. He fidgeted and tried to use his free feet to kick Leo as well. But Leo stepped back and dodged the kicks.

Jack didn't want to miss the action. So he approached the young man and spoke with his most scary face and tone. "You better answer all our questions now!".

Surprising everyone, Leo took a taser gun from his backpack and gave Jack an electric shock. He then tied Jack to another pole.

Jack was shocked and understandably outraged. "You son of a bitch! What did you do? Crazy bastard!". His legs were free so he managed to kick Leo on the stomach.

Leo fell down but recovered soon and explained his actions. "You're the national Security advisor! You can't be a part of what I want to do".

"You are out of your mind!", Jack shouted angrily.

"I'm trying to protect you, Bauer!", Leo argued loudly. "Nobody can know you helped me. They have to think I took you hostage".

Jack calmed down, thought things through, and tried to reason with the man. "You are right. I'm the national security advisor. And you were the FBI director. We have to make justice _by law_".

"_You _do. I don't", Leo corrected him.

Jack desperately made another attempt to reason with the angry guy before him. "I know right now you just want to kill people. I know that. I understand your pain…"

Leo cut Jack right off. "This is not just about Liz! This pathetic little man knows where Igor Laitanan is and Laitanan has the evidence Charles Logan used to blackmail Suvarov. Evidence that proves Suvarov sold radiological weapons to IRK revels and had Omar Hassan killed. We need that evidence if we want to make justice".

"Don't try that with me, Craig. You don't give a damn about justice. You just want revenge", Jack stated with a great deal of confidence. "And I can understand that", he assured him. "This is personal for me too. He tried to kill Renee twice".

Leo looked puzzled. "Twice? What are talking about?".

"He was the man driving that red Ferrari", he informed a very surprised Leo. "So, believe me, I want Laitanan dead too. But we have to let the authorities handle it. It's the right thing".

Leo puffed with disdain. "The authorities? You know how that works out. He'll lawyer up and will be out in a few years. It's not enough".

"He killed two people and one of them was a federal agent. It'll be more than just '_a few years'_´", Jack affirmed with a great deal of certainty.

"Nothing the authorities can do will be good enough", Leo shouted frustrated. Then he calmed out slightly. "I appreciate what you are trying to do, Bauer. But I won't be able to live with myself if that bastard doesn't get the punishment he deserves". He then turned his attention to a very scared Iosef. He gave him electric shocks with the taser gun and the young gangster screamed in pain. "Tell me where I can find Igor Laitanan".

"I don't know who that dude is", Iosef lied whining pathetically.

Then, with his Swiss Army Knife, Leo cut Iosef's t-shirt and ripped it off, leaving the gangster bare-chested. "That _dude_ is the fat bastard who killed the woman I love". He harshly banged Iosef's head against the pillar as he screamed. "Why were you helping him? And why do you want me dead?". The young man screamed in pain but said nothing. So then Leo gave him more electric shocks. "I was going to kill him, but you and three other men abducted me. Why?".

"I can't tell you", Iosef yelled back at Leo.

Jack made another attempt to make Leo reason. "Craig, please… stop. This won't bring Liz back".

Leo just looked at Jack and yelled really loudly. "Shut up, Bauer!".

"I know who you are, Ioself", Leo declared somberly. "The FBI has been investigating you and your brother for months. But we couldn't find out who your boss is".

"I'm not going to tell you", Iosef stated firmly.

Leo punched him very violently on the face. After that, he proceeded to examine the tattoos the young gangster had on his chest and arms to see if he found out something useful.

He noticed the man didn't have any stars, but a rose, which meant he was a newly accepted gangster. Iosef also had a pirate on his left arm, with meant '_Robbery_', and a beetle on his fingers, which symbolized pickpocket and meant '_May your theft be a success_'. On his other hand, he had tattooed "_SER_", like Akim. SER stood for "_Svoboda Eto Ray_", which meant "freedom Is Paradise". Next to the rose, the young gangster had two swords stabbing through the heart, one side to side, one top to bottom. Shockingly, Leo didn't know what that meant. Leo had seen that tattoo once before. Jacob Bukin had one of those in the arm. But the meaning of that tattoo was unknown by Leo, who was furious at himself for not knowing something. Maybe it was important.

"What the hell does this mean?", he shouted. Iosef said absolutely nothing. Leo punched him harshly once again. Blood started to come out from the gangster's nose and mouth.

Right then, Jack saw that Seymon had regained conscience and was now approaching Leo. The young gangster had a heavy big rock and planned to hit Leo's head with it. Jack's eyes widened in alarm. "Craig, watch out! Behind you!".

Leo turned around and, in one quick motion, tackled Seymon to the ground. The two men wrestled on the ground and the Russian tried to steal Leo's weapon. However, Leo was twenty five years older than the young gangster and, therefore, had far more experience. He easily took his Swiss Army knife and coldly sliced Seymon's throat.

"Bastard!", Iosef yelled with tears in his steel-grey eyes. He felt understandably devastated. "He was my big brother!" "You killed my brother! You son of a bitch!".

But Leo had no sympathy for the pathetic little gangster. "He shouldn't have messed with me. Now, if you don't want to join him start talking now!".

The gangster lifted his chin with defiance. "I won't tell you anything".

Leo then he gave the young man an electric shock. "Tell me who you work for!", But Iosef merely screamed in pain and then spitted on his face. Disgusted, Leo wiped out the spit with the sleeve of the pale-green sweater he had borrowed from Jack when he switched clothes.

_Then, Leo kept giving Iosef electric shocks. _

_Simultaneously, Dr. Gordon Hamish kept working on Igor's wound. _

_Meanwhile, Brendan, Nolan and Mason kept working on the bomb. _

_At that moment, President Taylor, Ethan, George and Caldwell worked on the State of the Union. _

**04.46.35 – 04.46.36 – 04.46.37 – 04.46.38 PM**

**04.48.03 – 04.48.04 – 04.48.05 – 04.48.06 PM**

_In Brendan's bathroom, Mandy had dye in her hair and was still waiting for it to process._

_In the meantime, Leo was beating the crap out of a defenseless Iosef. _

_At that same time, Renee was in her hospital bed reading information she had on a folder. . _

_Right then, Gordon finished implanting the memory card in Igor's shoulder, under the skin. _

Gordon put the suturing kit away and the turned to look at his patient. "Everything went well. This should heal just fine. You'll just need to come back in a week to remove the stitches".

"And that's it?", Igor asked looking at his shoulder. There was now a small rectangle-shaped lump where the memory card was.

"Yeah. That's it", the doctor confirmed, as he removed his globes and washed his hands.

"Thank you", Igor said. He then took his HK USP Compact side gun.

Gordon turned around and his deep-set granite-grey eyes widened in horror when he saw that Igor was aiming a gun at his head. He raised his hands defensively. "Listen… I'm not…".

But Igor didn't let the doctor finish. He coldly shot him in the head and Gordon dropped dead. The Russian simply didn't want the doctor to talk to anyone about him. So Dr. Gordon Hamish became Igor Laitanan's one thousand and four victim.

As he grabbed surgical gloves and cleaned the place up carefully to erase all trace of himself, Igor pondered about his next move. He was in a very crappy position. The FBI was looking for him and the Russian mob operating in DC. wanted to kill him. The only good news was that Leon Craig was probably dead at this point.

In such position, there was only one man he could turn to. There was one very pragmatic man who would see the benefits of helping him.

He stopped cleaning momentarily. He then took his cell phone and searched for a number in his contact list. The phone belonged to a man called _'Martin Willard_'_. _But Igor was sure that it wasn't the guy's real name. That mysterious American guy used a fake name, just like mysterious Joseph Bennet and Brooke Hartson.

**04.51.15 – 04.51.16 – 04.51.17 – 04.51.18 PM**

**Suitland- Silver Hill, Maryland. – Howe Av. and Lewis Av. – Brendan Marson's apartment.**

Brendan was in his studio building three bombs with his only living son. He looked at what Nolan was doing over the young man's shoulder and nodded approvingly. His son was doing everything right. Nolan Marson, an engineer, had the important task of building the remote control that would trigger the explosion. The remote looked like a harmless cellphone.

"Son, will that be done soon?, Brendan asked.

"Just a few minutes", Nolan assured him.

"Good. Mandy needs to take it with her", the oldest Marson reminded his son.

Nolan nodded, already aware of that. "I know".

Subsequently, Brendan looked over Mason Butcher's shoulder. Mason was putting the explosives in different crystal compartments that would go inside the shells of the bombs. Once Mandy pressed a button in the remote control, those compartments would break and the liquids inside would mix, generating the big blast. The trick was using the right materials in the right amount. He nodded satisfied with Mason's work.

All the sudden, one of Brendan's cell phones began ringing. It was a special cell phone he used to talk to people who didn't know his real name. He took the call. "Hello".

"Is this Martin Willard?", Igor asked, rather brusquely.

"Yeah", Brendan replied. He had chosen 'Marin Willard' as name because of actor Martin Sheen and his famous character from Apocalypse Now, Benjamin Willard. The blue-eyed mercenary was convinced that he looked like a younger version of Martin Sheen.

"This is Igor Laitanan talking", the obese Russian gangster said.

Brendan instantly straightened his back and his expression became deadly serious. "Igor Laitanan?", He and Nolan exchanged surprised looks. Igor had failed to kill Walker and was wanted by the FBI and the Russian mob. He wanted nothing to do with that disgustingly obese man. "What do you want?".

"I have a business proposition for you, Mr. Willard. I can guarantee it'll interest you", Igor stated.

The American mercenary narrowed his electric-blue eyes with suspicion. "What business proposition?".

Nolan was listening his dad's part of the talk carefully.

Igor calmly explained his proposal. "Just help me hide and leave the country, and I'll pay you very well".

Brendan was sort of tempted. His greed was his weakness. "I suppose I could give you some documents for you to leave the country". Nolan widened his electric-blue eyes in surprise. "But it will cost you".

"I'm willing to pay a lot of money", Igor assured him. "How soon can you have the documents ready?".

"They would be ready in about three hours", Brendan replied.

Igor was not happy to hear that. "I don't have that kind of time. I need to disappear soon. The mob is looking for me to kill me".

A plan that would make Niccolò Machiavelli proud was soon taking form in Brendan's sharp mind. He could hide Igor and sell him out to the mob. That way he would have Igor's money and the mob's. Feeling proud of himself for his genius plan, he began putting it in action. "I'll let you hide in one of my apartments and I'll give you the documents for two hundredth grands".

Igor balked at the figure. "Two hundredth grands?"

"That's not negotiable", Brendan told him with a serious tone.

Igor scratched the back of his head doubtfully. But he was really in no position to argue. He desperately needed help. "Okay… Okay…".

"Go to the cafeteria of the holocaust museum as soon as you can", Brendan ordered with a brusque tone.

"You'll meet me there?", Igor asked.

"Don't be ridiculous", Brendan told him instantly. "I'll send one of my men. He'll give you the keys of a safe apartment in which you can hide until the documents are ready".

"How do I recognize him?", the fat Russian asked.

"He'll recognize you", Brendan told him. Then he issued a warning. "Now, listen to me, Jabba the hut… If someone connects you to me, I'll kill you the same way they killed the shark at the end of Jaws".

Igor did not appreciate being called '_Jabba the Hut_'. But he needed the American's help, so he couldn't protest. "Understood".

Brendan then considered the conversation over and disconnected the call.

Nolan took his father to a side to speak to him privately. "Dad, are you sure you want to send that man to the safe apartment?", Nolan asked whispering with concern. "What if the authorities find him there? They could connect him to you".

Brendan also whispered when he reassured his son's concerns. "The apartment is under Ross's name. Worst case scenario, the FBI catches Willy the whale and links him to Ross. Of course, if that happens, we'll have to eliminate our young friend to keep him from talking. But… well…". He shrugged. Ross Kinkaid was merely a pawn to him.

Nolan twisted his mouth to a side with doubt. "Uh, still… what if those Russians find out we helped that guy?".

"We won't actually help him", Brendan corrected him. "I'll call the Russians, I'll tell them where _Willy_ is for a sum of money".

Nolan's eyes were then full of admiration for his old man. "So we'll get money from everybody".

"Exactly", Brendan confirmed proudly. Then he dialed Ivan Jacobi's number.

Ivan was working in his restaurant when he heard his cellphone ringing. He instantly took the call. "Yeah?".

"Mr. Jacobi, this is Martin Willard", Brendan told the Russian.

Ivan was surprised to hear from that man. "Mr. Willard, how may I help you?".

"Actually, I'm gonna help you", Brendan said. "I know where your fat friend is".

That definitely caught Ivan's attention. He thought Igor Laitanan was dead. One of Liev's men was supposed to kill him. "That man is supposed to be dead already".

"But he isn't. He just called me, looking for a place to hide", Brendan told him.

'_He must have killed Liev's goon',_ Ivan thought. He knew a goon called Kirill was watching Igor and was supposed to kill him. He got concerned. "I see. Well, tell me where he is".

"Not until I get one hundredth grands", Brendan said. "And I want another one hundredth after you find and kill that whale". 

Ivan scowled. But he needed to catch Igor, so he had to accept the deal. "All right. One of my men will meet you in the Washington monument in about half an hour".

"He won't meet me. One of my men will go", Brendan told the Russian. "I'll send you a picture so your man can recognize him".

"And I'll send you a picture of my man", Ivan told him.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you", Brendan said with a hint of mockery in his tone.

Once the deal was made, he hung up the phone and headed to the living room where some of his men were lazing around. He adopted a severe demeanor. "Listen up!". Everybody instantly paid attention to him. He addressed the youngest of his men. "Ross, you have to meet Igor Laitanan in the holocaust museum. He'll give you some money". Next he addressed the biggest of his men. "Chad, you have to meet one of Jacobi's men in the Washington monument".

**04.55.45 – 04.55.46 – 04.55.47 – 04.55.48 PM**

**Annandale, Virginia. – Construction Site**

Iosef was in immense pain and his face was all bruised and bloody. He had also lost a tooth. Leo had beaten the crap out of him. In addition, the American had given him a lot of electric shocks. Not to mention the cold. The other American guy, Bauer, kept telling Craig to be reasonable, to stop the madness. But Craig wouldn't reason. The young gangster was taking the torture like a soldier. He was a strong Russian man, after all.

Leo was very frustrated with the guy who wouldn't talk. He then decided to do something more extreme. He grabbed the young man's left foot. He took off the guy's sneakers and the socks. Then he grabbed the Swiss army knife and showed it to the guy. "I'm gonna cut all your toes, one by one, unless you tell me what I wanna know. Where is Igor Laitanan? Who do you work for?".

Iosef was scared but tried not to show it. "I won't tell you anything. I took an oath".

"You know? I sort of took an oath too", Leo told him. "I promised a woman called Liz Stockard that I would always protect her. But Igor Laitanan killed her". His face darkened. He was so angry with the whole world. He unleashed some of his anger by harshly kicking the young man in his private parts. The young man paled and fell to the ground from the pain, with his hands still tied behind his back, around the pole. Leo continued the speech while the man winced in pain. "I also promised to myself that I wouldn't let anything bad happen to my friend Renee Walker. But Igor Laitanan tried to kill her twice. For all that it is my duty, my obligation, to find that man and kill him slowly. So, believe me, I will torture you all day long if that's what it takes for you to break".

The young Russian was in so much pain, but remained firm. "I won't break".

"Everybody breaks", Leo declared rather smugly. He looked at Jack and remembered that the Chinese could never break Jack Bauer. '_But that's because I don't work for the Chinese_', Leo though arrogantly. He then grabbed Iosef's left foot. Without hesitation, he cut the man's big toe.

The young Russian screamed in pain and horror. "Crazy bastard!".

Jack , who was tied to a pole near Iosef, was horrified too. "Craig, stop it! He's just an useless goon. It's not his fault that Liz is dead. The authorities can get the information from him".

But Leo ignored Jack. He kept talking to Iosef. "Who do you work for?", he demanded to know, loudly. Iosef remained silent. "Where is Igor Laitanan?". The Russian said nothing, so Leo coldly cut his second toe.

Once again, the young man screamed in pain. "Son of a bitch!".

Jack was horrified. "He's going to bleed out to death!",

Leo then turned to the other American. "Shut the fuck up, Bauer! If Renee were dead you'd be doing the same thing, and you know it!".

Jack admitted to himself that the man was right. Besides, he realized it was impossible to reason with Craig. If Renee were dead, nobody would be able to reason with Jack either. So he shut up. Suddenly, he had an idea to scare the Russian goon. "Craig, this man won't talk. Just bury him alive".

Leo then looked into Jack's eyes. They shared a meaningful look. He nodded, understanding what Jack wanted him to do.

Iosef was now seriously terrified. "No… no".

Leo then took the handcuffs off and grabbed the young Russian from the arm. He dragged Iosef and threw him to the grave he had just dug. But, for the plan to work, he had to immobilize Iosef. So, he took the Berretta gun he had stolen and shot both of his knees.

Iosef screamed in pain and realized, to his horror that he couldn't get up.

Satisfied, Leo got into an excavator and dug a lot of dirt. He threw the dirt over Iosef.

Some dirt fell into Iosef's eyes. He shook his head and managed to clean it with his hands. His eyes were burning and every inch of his body hurt. Plus, he couldn't leave the hole so, soon, he would be buried alive. His worst nightmare… everybody's worst nightmare.

Leo dug more dirt and threw it over Iosef's legs.

Jack then decided to play good cop and addressed the young Russian. "He's crazy. He will bury you alive. Just tell him what he wants to know and he'll let you live".

Iosef was trembling and had tears in his eyes. "I… I can't".

Leo threw more dirt over the defenseless Russian man. Jack thought it was all a bluff. But Leo was actually willing to bury Iosef alive if the young man didn't cooperate.

"Don't be stupid", Jack said to the Russian gangster loudly. "He'll bury you alive!".

"I won't betray my captain" , Iosef affirmed, this time sort of weakly. His entire body was shaking.

Leo threw even more dirt over Iosef. Then he threw more. He kept throwing dirt until Iosef's legs and torso were completely covered. Next he threw some dirt next to the Russian's head, to scare him more.

Then Iosef finally gave in. "Stop… Stop… I'll tell you".

Leo stopped the excavator and got out of it. Then he approached Iosef. "Where is Igor Laitanan?".

Hating himself, Iosef spilled out what he knew. "They took him to a doctor called Gordon Hamish. He has an apartment in DC. Salem Ln. 4467".

Leo wrote down the address in the cellphone he was using. "And who do you work for?".

"Please, don't make me tell you that", Iosef whined pathetically.

Leo simply turned around and headed to the excavator. Iosef caved in. "His name is Liev Mastrosov".

"Where is he?", Leo asked.

"I don't know where he's now", Iosef confessed tearfully. "But he lives in Arlington. 915 Nelson Street. Apartment 2.b".

"That's enough information, Craig", Jack stated. "Now let him go".

"The only place he'll go is hell", Leo declared somberly. He then shot Iosef in the head.

Jack was shocked. Leo was completely insane. The former FBI agent was so full of anger, loathe and grief. Even Jack Bauer was getting scared.

**04.59.56 – 04.59.57 – 04.59.58 – 04.59.59 PM**

**05.00 PM**


	10. It's the rock in your shoe

**Author's note:** Thank you to all the readers and special thanks to those who review.

Sorry it took me this long to update, but I was too busy studying. Besides, I've been working on my original writing projects.

If you guys have facebook pages I think it'd be cool if you befriended me. My name is Lara Garcia Costanzo. If you want, send me a friend request clarifying where you know me from.

By the way, I'm totally okay with harsh criticism. It actually helps me improve. I'm not writing this story solely for fun and to give Jack and Renee the happy ending they deserved. I'm also writing it to practice my English and my writing skills. In the spirit of improving, and because of a review I got recently, I have spent a few days editing the nine chapters I've written so far. It turned out to be a good idea because I managed to correct a few mistakes I'd made. I'd like to tank J. Peterman for his/her honesty. I hope he or she continues reading and reviewing,

**I changed Rick Reynolds name.** **It's now Dale Reynolds. **In the show, he simply appears as "Reynolds" and I foolishly named him Rick. There are millionths of Ricks in 24, it was stupid from me to give that name to a character. I edited the chapters in which he appears. Sorry for the inconvenience.

**Disclaimer:** The show's not mine. Neither are the characters. I do own the necklace Elisha Cubert used on season 7, the earrings Cherry Jones used on season 8 and the complete set of DVDs.

**CHAPTER 10:**

"**It's the rock in your shoe"**

**Previously: **A former Special Forces captain called Brendan Marson is leading a group of mercenaries that is building three bombs and planning an attack that will bring the government down to its knees. This group has the help of assassin Mandy, who is preparing herself to pose as a Secret Service agent.

Reporter Valery Layton found out that Renee was raped by Vladimir and then slept willingly with him for eight months. In exchange for her silence she wants details of the FBI-CTU rescue operation, an excusive with her about the kidnapping, what she went through and whatever she wants to say about Vladimir.

After being shot on the shoulder by Leo, Igor Laitanan was taken to a doctor that works for the Russian mob. The doctor fixed Igor's shoulder and implanted under his skin a memory card, which contains the evidence Charles Logan had used to blackmail Mikail Novakovich and Yuri Suvarov. After that, Igor killed the doctor.

The mysterious man who calls himself 'Joseph' wants Igor dead because he failed to kill Renee for the second time. So the Russian mob operating in DC. is looking for Igor to kill him.

Igor turns to Brendan and offers him money in exchange for help. Brendan pretends to help him for 200 hundredth thousand dollars, but then he calls Ivan Jacobi and sells Igor's location to him.

Some Russian gangsters called Akim Yudasi, SemyonGudovich and Iosef Gudovich kidnapped Leo and took him to a construction site to kill him. They made him dig his own grave. Jack secretly went to his rescue. He showed up just in time to save Leo. Leo killed Akim and Semyon and tied Jack to a pole so nobody suspects he abetted him. Leo tortured Iosef, who then told him that Liev Mastrosov is their leader and where to find him. The gangster also told him where to find Igor Laitanan.

_The following takes place between 05.00 PM and 06.00 PM, on the day of the State of the Union Address_.

**January 29th 2019 – Wednesday**

**05.04.07 PM **

**Annandale, Virginia.**

Leo had just left the construction site. He was driving the black Audi A3 he had stolen from the Russians that had attacked him and were now dead. He was heading to the place where he could find Igor Laitanan, a House in Salem Ln. 4467, which apparently belonged to some doctor called Gordon Hamish. The Russian gangsters had taken Igor to that doctor. He wondered why those gangsters were interested in helping Laitanan. The FBI had investigated those men for a few months but never managed to get enough evidence and never found out the name of their boss, except Leo knew now the name of their leader… Liev Mastrosov. That man had some explaining to do. Nevertheless, first of all, Leo had to find and kill Igor Laitanan. He was truly going to enjoy that.

He took a quick look at the big military-green backpack that lied on the shotgun seat. Inside of it he had everything he needed to face his mortal enemy. He had, all together, a Glock 19, a laptop, enough ammunition to invade a small country, two pairs of handcuffs, a first aid kit, a rope, a scalpel, and the necessary supplies so break into any house or apartment. Those were the items he already had on his backpack before going rogue. In addition to those, he had items he had acquired after Liz's death: four throwaway cellphones he had bought, four pairs of handcuffs, two Glock 23 guns he had stolen from agents Park and Reynolds, two Beretta 9000 pistols he had stolen from officers Bolan and Munson, four taser guns, he also had a Swiss Army knife and Beretta M9 guns he had taken from the Russian gangsters. But the most important items, at least to him, were the box of matches and the bottle of kerosene he had taken from Renee's house.

While he was driving, he grabbed one of the cellphones and dialed the phone number of FBI DC.

A beautiful desk agent with long sandy-brown hair, took the call. "FBI DC. This is Agent Marci Lamount How may I help you?".

"I need to talk to Janis Gold", Leo quickly told the woman.

"Ms. Gold is busy at the moment. May I take your message?", Marci told him cordially.

Leo frowned, clearly he was not happy. "No, you may not take my message. I need to talk to her now! It's urgent. Tell her it's Leo Craig. I think that will make a difference".

Marci widened her blue eyes in shock and quickly put Leo on hold. Then she pressed the right button on the phone to talk to Janis.

The nerdy data analyst, who was at her desk working, instantly picked up the phone when she saw a little red light in it indicating that someone was contacting her from inside the building. "Gold"

In such a day as the one they were living, everything had to be done at full speed, so the sensual blonde desk agent explained the situation without wasting time. "Janis, Leo's calling. He wants to talk to you".

Janis could not believe her ears. "What?". She blinked quickly with profound disbelief. "Patch him through". Janis bit her lower lip. Soon, Leo was on the other side of the line. "Leo, where are you?", she asked futilely while starting to trace the call coming from the federal fugitive.

Leo practically barked at her like a furious Doberman when he spoke. "It doesn't matter where I am. You just need to know that Jack Bauer is tied to a pole in a construction site in Annandale. I left him there. And in that place there are also three dead bodies. You need to send some agents".

Still in shock, the data analyst leaned back against the back of her chair and sighed. "Oh, God… who did you kill now?",

The fugitive's features darkened. "Those men were Akim Yudasi and Seymon and Iosef Gudovich. They were trying to kill me". He was losing the little patience he had left. "Look, just go rescue Jack".

He hung up the phone instantly. The call didn't last enough time for it to be traced. However, just in case, he opened the window of the black Audi and threw away the cellphone he had just used.

**05.05.26 – 05.05.27 – 05.05-28 – 05.05.29 PM **

**Virginia Medical Center**

Renee was still lying in her hospital bed, reading an important security report, when her assistant Zoe walked into the room carrying a coffee, a sandwich and a blueberry muffin. The chief of staff scolded the young woman lightly, "I told you I'm not hungry, Zoe".

The assistant simply disregarded what the older woman said and handed her the snack. "Ms. Walker, you never finished your lunch because of that creep…. You haven't eaten anything since breakfast. You have to eat something. Actually, your doctor told me so".

The Chief of staff lifted her eyebrows slightly. "You talked to my doctor?". She then looked down at her own hands and her lips curbed up slightly in a tiny smile. Soon she looked back at Zoe. "Thank you".

The green-eyed woman smiled back sweetly. "You're welcome". Next she handed her boss a bag with the sandwich and the coffee, saving the muffin for later.

Renee graciously took the bag and examined its content. It was a sandwich made with black bread, ham, cheese and tomatoes. Her favorite type of sandwich, indeed. She wasn't very hungry, though. She wasn't showing it, but she couldn't stop thinking about Igor Laitanan touching her, kissing her and trying to rape her. And thinking about Igor, inevitably, brought back the memory of the other Laitanan. Both of them made her feel nauseas, but Vladimir was worst because he had actually been in her.

Zoe took a seat by her boss and continued talking, not realizing Renee looked a little bit troubled. "And, by the way, your Aunt Brianna called". _'Aunt Brianna_' was actually Miranda Jones, Renee's therapist. Zoe knew that but used the code anyway for her boss's protection. They hid the fact that Renee went to therapy by calling the weekly session 'The _tennis match_' and the therapist '_Aunt Brianna_'. Nobody but Jack, Eric and Zoe knew that Renee's real aunt Brianna had actually died tragically in Ireland being just a toddler. "She said that, if you need to talk after what you went…".

The older woman didn't even let Zoe finish that sentence. "I'm fine", she claimed firmly. Truth be told, she didn't even know how she felt. She hadn't allowed herself to stop and process what had happened. However, '_I'm fine-let's-focus-on-work_' was basically her default setting. As if to prove how fine she was, she made a huge effort and took a small bite of her sandwich. She swallowed it laboriously while Zoe watched attentively. "I don't have time to talk to her anyway".

"That's true", the assistant conceded weakly. She had only been working with her for a couple of months, so she didn't know the chief of staff well enough to know that Renee tended to use work to cover her emotions from the world and even from herself.

Trying to act casual, Renee ate a little bit more of her sandwich. "Anybody else called?".

The young girl looked at a notepad and then back at her boss. "Kim Bauer".

"It's Kim Calloway, Zoe", Renee corrected Zoe gently. "She goes by her husband's name".

"Sorry", Zoe apologized awkwardly. "Anyway, you should call her. She sounded worried about you".

Renee nodded, agreeing with her assistant, and smiled slightly, lowering her gaze. She found Kim's concern touching.

Then there was a knock on the door and two secret service agents walked into the hospital bedroom. One of them was Arizona Rush, whom Renee knew well because the agent was in charge of the chief of staff's office. The other agent was a man in his late thirties with black deep-set eyes and his head shaved. On the other hand, Arizona was a blonde boyish-looking woman with extremely short straight hair and big brandy-brown eyes.

The blonde agent was the first one to greet everybody with a serious pure-business expression. "Good afternoon, Ms. Walker". Next she bowed her head at the younger woman in the room. "Zoe".

Zoe gave the agent her typical warm smile. "Hi".

Renee bowed her head as greeting but failed to smile. "Agent Rush". Her crystal-blue eyes were then set in the man and, after that, they were back in Arizona. "Who's your partner?".

The man stepped up and spoke with a somewhat military tone. "I'm Special Agent Garrick Adamson, Ma'am. Agent O'Malley put us in charge of your protection, at the president's orders".

"We'll stay with you until Igor Laitanan gets caught", Arizona added.

The chief of staff didn't like having protection at all and didn't bother to hide it. "Look… I was an FBI agent. People seem to forget that. I can protect my self. So, if you guys want to do something else…". She knew very well that the agents would never go with her proposal. But she didn't lose anything with trying. "We'll tell the president and Nate that you protected me. They don't have to know".

Arizona just gave her a compassionate look. "I'm afraid we can't do that ma'am".

Renee rested her back against the pillow and sighed with resignation. "Yeah. I didn't think so".

The female agent gave her new protégé a sympathetic smile. "So, do you have any questions?".

The red-haired woman folded her arms across her chest with a scowl that never abandoned her delicate face. "How does this work, exactly?".

Arizona patiently began explaining Renee the whole deal with a very serious professional tone. "I'll be leading a detail of six agents. They'll work two at the time for eight hours each pair. Agent Adamson and I have the first shift. We'll set a command post in your manor"

Garrick then stepped up and continued giving Renee more information. "We have a couple of ground rules. You can't use your car. We'll drive you wherever you want to go from now to the moment Igor Laitanan gets caught. And we have to know were you are all the time".

Arizona then added, "We can't comment on what you do. And we definitely aren't here to judge. If you want to cheat on your boyfriend or drink a beer at 11 AM that's your business. But we have to watch you all the time".

"How far away from me will you be?", Renee asked, failing to hide her growing anxiety.

"We'll obviously respect a certain perimeter of privacy", Arizona assured the new protégé.

The chief of staff narrowed her crystal-blue eyes with doubt. "What does that mean?"

Garrick was the one to answer that question. "You can take a shower or use the bathroom by yourself".

"Provided that we check the facilities first", the female agent instantly clarified.

Renee didn't feel much better. But, what could she do? She was obligated to accept the protection because the president of the United States had ordered so. "Okay"

Arizona searched for something in Garrick's backpack and then handed Renee a folder and a pen. "Please, Ms. Walker, we need you to sign this before we can begin".

"Fine". Renee reluctantly took the folder and the pen, and then she signed the papers.

Next the door of the hospital bedroom got opened and Angela Nelson walked in with a polite smile on her face. "Hello, everyone".

Zoe greeted the white house press secretary right back. "Hello, Ms. Nelson".

Angie gave the young assistant a tiny smile and then exchanged greeting nods with the agents. After that, her concerned chestnut-brown eyes got set on the chief of staff. "Renee, how are you doing?".

"I'm fine", Renee answered with a sort of inpatient tone. She truly didn't want to talk about her own emotions. Instead, she handed the folder back at Arizona and focused on what she had to do. "Guys, would you please give me a minute with Angie?".

Arizona nodded in agreement. "We'll be right outside".

The male agent then handed Renee a panic button. "Please, press this is you need us".

"All right", Renee agreed without arguing, since she had no choice. Then the two agents and Zoe left her alone with Angie. Once she was alone with the press secretary, Renee's curious eyes posed on her. "So, what's that thing you needed to tell me?".

The press secretary took a seat on a chair that was by Renee's bed. She was silent for a moment. She didn't quite know how to say what she had to say. But she finally decided to just say it. "Some details about you and Vladimir Laitanan got leaked to the press".

Renee leaned back feeling horrified. "Oh, my God". She blinked very quickly. "What details?".

"Valery Layton knows you were…". Angie trailed off. She felt extremely uncomfortable discussing the topic with the chief of staff. After a few seconds, she spoke again lowering her voice to a whisper. "She knows he raped you and that, after that, you slept willingly with him for eight months".

At first, Renee said nothing. For a split second, she could feel Vladimir kissing her neck and touching every inch of her body. She felt grossed out and absolutely crushed. "Oh",

"And, Renee…". Angie got even more uncomfortable, if that was possible. "She knows about your miscarriage".

The news came like a dagger in Renee's heart. But she managed not to cry…. Barely. "Which one?".

"The first one", Angie answered with a kind tone of voice.

After a moment of silence, Renee swallowed and managed to speak with her voice nearly breaking. "How did she find out?".

"I don't know", Angie replied sorrowfully, with genuine compassion in her chestnut-brown eyes. "The information got send to her anonymously".

"We need to find out who her source is", Renee declared firmly. Only eleven people in the world knew that much about Renee, including Renee herself. Jack, Leo, Angie, the president, George Sullivan, Nathan O'Malley, Ethan Kanin, Caldwell Coleman, Chloe O'Brian and a private investigator who Ethan had hired to vet Renee when Allison chose her Chief of Staff.

"We are working on it", Angie assured her instantly.

Renee sighed, very painfully resigned. "What does she want?".

Angie sighed too defeated and then answered the question. "Details of the FBI-CTU rescue operation, an excusive about the kidnapping, what you went through, and whatever you want to say about Vladimir".

Renee's delicate features darkened significantly. "I see".

Next the press secretary had to tell Renee another bad news. "And, also, Sean Callahan knows that Igor Laitanan kidnapped you because you killed his brother".

Renee simply stared at the other woman in, looking completely lost. "What do you think I should do?".

"Well… I've been talking with Cal… The best way to avoid a scandal is leaking the information yourself, under your own terms. Give your own version of the story", the press secretary explained.

"What version?", Renee asked, not understanding what Angie meant.

"You were undercover with Vladimir Laitanan, who was a very violent man that raped you", Angie said, expositing smoothly what Renee should say. "That's when you got pregnant". She made a small pause as Renee absorbed the words. "He hit you and you lost the baby and left the mission. Six years later you had to go undercover with him again. He attacked you and you had no choice but to kill him in self defense. Considering what he had done to you in the past, you were genuinely afraid for your life".

Renee was then the perfect example of a bitter defeated woman. "I just have to lie about when I got pregnant and avoid giving details of how I killed him".

Angie nodded. "Exactly". The press secretary made a short pause. Renee looked so crushed. "Renee, people will understand. You were defending yourself from a Russian gangster who beat you and raped you". She made another pause. "You are the victim here".

Then Renee shot her an angry dart with her eyes. "Angie, you are an amazing press secretary… but if you ever call me _the victim_ again I'll fire you".

Angie's whole body tensed. She nodded looking a bit frightened. "Okay".

After that, the chief of staff just leaned back against her pillow and looked into the space feeling devastated.

_The press secretary gave Renee a sympathetic look. _

_Meanwhile, Arizona and Garrick were right outside, standing by the door. _

_In the same moment, Leo was heading to Gordon Hamish's house, driving the black Audi A3. _

_Simultaneously, Janis Gold was working by her desk, getting information about the Russian gangsters. _

**05.12.55 – 05.12.56 – 05.12-57 – 05.12.58 PM **

**05.15.43 – 05.15.44 – 05.15-45 – 05.15.46 PM **

_Zoe was working from the hospital's waiting room with a laptop. _

_Right then, Janis Gold was sending information to Agent Jeffrey Teller. . _

_Meanwhile, Angie and Renee were working together on a press statement Renee would give. _

_At the same time, Leo found himself stuck in traffic and was clearly pissed. _

**05.16.00 – 05.16.01 – 05.16-02 – 05.16.03 PM **

**Annandale, Virginia**

In the middle of a construction site, Jack remained tied up to a pole. He was trying desperately to free himself to no avail. He mentally cursed Leo for putting him in that crappy situation.

Fortunately for him, the FBI arrived to his rescue. Two FBI cars were parked by the construction site. Agents Jeffrey Teller and Dale Reynolds got out from one of those cars, as agents Lenny Charters and Brandon Turner got out from the other one.

Lenny and Brandon hurried to free Jack, while Jeffrey and Dale observed the surroundings and noticed the dead bodies of the three Russian gangsters; one of them was inside a hole, literally buried up to the neck with a bullet on his forehead.

Jeffrey's expression turned extremely serious. "Call Janis", he ordered Dale. "We need four more agents to process this scene".

"And set a perimeter?", Dale suggested.

A now free Jack approached them and instantly jumped into the conversation. "It's not gonna do any good. He's gone".

Jeffrey stared at him with a look that clearly said _and_-_who-the-hell-asked-you?_. "Mr. Bauer, don't tell us how to do our jobs". He then addressed Dale. "Set a 20 block perimeter". Dale nodded quickly in agreement. Jeffrey's brown eyes were then on Jack again. "We'll need you to come with us".

Jack knew they would want to debrief him, but he didn't want that to happen. "I can't. Renee is still at the hospital. I have to be with her".

Of course Jeffrey wouldn't allow him to leave. "You have to come with us and explain what the hell happened here".

With a big scowl on his face and anger showing in his aquamarine eyes, Jack gave the FBI agent his own version of the story, "These men were Russian gangsters who were helping Igor Laitanan, and they were trying to kill Leo, so he killed them _on self defense. _That's all I know".

Jeffrey was deeply outraged because Bauer was taking him for an idiot. "On self defense?". He pointed his finger at the gangster buried to the neck while yelling heatedly. "Look at that man!". Jack didn't even move, which only infuriated the FBI agent more. "Look at him!".

Jack didn't obey. His scowl grew even deeper. But he realized that the self-defense excuse wouldn't work, and the FBI knew Leo had committed the murders anyway, so he tried to save himself. He argued angrily. "I had nothing to do with any of this. You saw me… I was tied to that pole. I tried to stop him".

The agent gave him a give-me-a-break look. "And how did you know he was here in the first place?". Jack remained silent, so Jeffrey exposited his own version of the story. "My guess is that he called you for help and you abetted him instead of calling the authorities".

"I wanted to talk to him first. I wanted to talk him into turning himself in", Jack claimed with a firm tone of voice and looking straight into the agent's brown eyes. "I was trying to…".

"I don't care why you did it!", Jeffrey interrupted him sharply. "You knew he was here and didn't tell us. So you have to come with us". The agent didn't give room for further arguing.

Jack was visibly pissed. "I want to be with Renee".

Naturally, Jeffrey couldn't care less. "Mr. Bauer, if you don't cooperate with us you'll _definitely_ go to jail for obstruction of justice".

Jack found him self trapped. He had no choice but to do as Jeffrey said.

**05.18.32 – 05.18.33 – 05.18-34 – 05.18.35 PM **

**Washington DC. - Gordon Hamish's house. Salem Ln. 4467.**

Leo arrived to the house of Dr. Gordon Hamish. They had told him Igor Laitanan was in there. He drew his Beretta 9000 pistol and forced the door open. He then walked into the living room very slowly, trying not to make any noise, and examined the surroundings. He noticed some blood in one of the couches and some mail to '_Gordon Hamish_', which told him he was definitely in the right house. He also saw about four different pictures in portraits of a man with a little girl and a little boy. He guessed the man was Gordon.

After that, he moved to the kitchen, where he saw absolutely nothing important but a laptop on a table. Subsequently, he left the kitchen and walked down a hallway. He kicked open the first door he saw with his gun readied. The room was a small bedroom with an adjoining bathroom. He looked around carefully. He opened the closet, searched under the bed for any clue, looked into every drawer and next registered the entire bathroom. Nothing extraordinary. All he found was some cocaine.

Afterwards, feeling frustrated, he kicked the door of the following room, which had an operating table, a desk and a big cabinet with medical supplies. He quickly scanned the room with his hazel eyes and was shocked to see two dead bodies lying on the floor.

Trying not to touch anything, he took a good look at the bodies. One of the dead men was the same man in the pictures that were in the living room. It had to be Dr. Gordon Hamish, whose college degrees from Saint Thomas University were hanging in the wall.

Leo recognized the other man because the guy had been investigated by the FBI. He remembered the name was Kirill Losev. Now he knew that the meaningless goon worked for Liev Mastrosov.

It didn't take much to figure out what had happened. The Russian gangsters had turned against Igor, so the fat bastard had killed Losev. Igor had also killed Hamish to keep the doctor from talking.

Leo then got some latex gloves from the cabinet, put them on and examined Kirill's body. He first noticed that the young gangster had a beetle tattooed in his hands, which symbolized pickpocketing. Next, he took off the guy's sweater and t-shirt. He saw the dead guy had a joker tattooed on the upper right arm, meaning he was a gambler, and aswastika on his other arm. (But in the world of the Russian gangsters, a swastika didn't mean necessarily that the wearer was a Nazi, it could just mean rebellion to the authority). On the chest, Kirill had a bat, like Leo, meaning he was nocturnal.

However, what called Leo's attention was the tatoo on the upper right chest. It was two swords stabbing through the heart, one side to side, one top to bottom.He had seen it in Iosef and in Jacob Bukin. What the hell did it mean? He had no idea.

He decided to let it go, for the moment, and proceeded to check the medical charts on the doctor's office. But the charts didn't have real names. They were written in codes so only the doctor could identify the patient. For instance, there was a chart labeled "Lion". That man had been treated repeatedly for gonorrhea and Chlamydia. The man had also suffered a couple of broken bones and had been shot twice. Another chart was labeled "Bear". This man had also suffered several broken bones, more than "Lion", and had been shot five times. Then he found a chart that belonged to a woman. It was labeled "Butterfly". The doctor had treated her for VDs and performed two abortions on her.

Leo left the charts and pondered for a brief moment about what to do next. He needed the FBI to process the scene and find as much information as possible. He didn't have the resources, but he could access to the FBI's information later, somehow. So, with that in mind, he took the cellphone and, this time, dialed Jeffrey Teller's number.

Agent Teller was driving his car with a very pissed off Jack on the back seat and Dale Reynolds in the shotgun seat. He heard the phone ringing and checked the caller ID screen. He didn't recognize the number but took the call anyway. "This is Teller. Who is this?".

"It's the rock in your shoe", Leo replied arrogantly, as he started leaving the place.

Jeffrey's features darkened. "Craig".

"You need to come to Salem Ln. 4467, in DC." the fugitive told him, somewhat with a bossy tone.

The new FBI director couldn't believe the fugitive was giving him a tip. "What's there?".

"Two dead bodies", Leo said. And before Jeffrey could say anything, he rushed to clarify the facts. "I didn't do it. Igor Laitanan killed them. He was here to have his shoulder fixed".

Jeffrey was visibly skeptical. "I have little reason to believe you, don't I?".

Leo couldn't care less about what Jeffrey believed. "Don't believe me. Process the scene and believe the evidence, I left it for you".

Obviously Jeffrey wasn't going to thank him. He simply proceeded to ask the question in his mind. "Who is dead?".

"Kirill Losev and a doctor working for the Russian gang", Leo answered, while he walked into Gordon's garage and saw the doctor's car, which was a White Porsche 911. Obviously being the doctor of Russian gangsters paid well.

Jeffrey paused to absorb the information before asking another question. "Do you know who this people work for?".

Leo got into the fancy vehicle and got it started as he barked a response Jeffrey wouldn't like. "I'm not going to do all the work for ya, Teller. Do your fucking job". He then hung up and threw the phone through the window. He then decided to go to Arlington, Virginia, where Liev Mastrosov lived.

**05.20.52 – 05.20.53 – 05.20-54 – 05.20.55 PM **

**Washington DC. - Holocaust Museum**

Igor Laitanan finally arrived to the holocaust museum in a red Volvo he had just stolen, since he could no longer drive the blue Chevrolet stolen by him earlier. He had first gone to his apartment to grab some things he needed and change his clothes, which were full of blood and brought too much attention to himself. The obese man was now wearing jeans, a long sleeve blue t-shirt, a blue sweater and a heavy black coat. He hid his sandy-brown short hair with a black winter hat and wore a black scarf that covered his lips and chin. He was also carrying a backpack with some stuff he would need and a money belt with one hundredth thousand dollars in cash for the man he knew as Martin Willard.

He got out of the red Volvo, walked into the museum after paying for his entrance and walked around it for a very short moment. Finally, he saw Ross Kinkaid, one of Willard's goons, a huge guy with a lot of muscle, black short curls and russet-brown eyes. He recognized him from the picture that had been sent to him. Igor approached him and greeted the young man somberly. "Mr. Kinkaid".

"Mr. Laitanan", Ross greeted the obese man back respectfully as they pretended to watch what was on display at the museum. He was shocked by the man's immensity. "You're late".

Igor became angry and instantly gave a very good excuse for his tardiness. "It wasn't easy getting the cash. The feds are all over me. And so are the Jacobis".

"Do you have it?", Ross asked brusquely.

As a response, Igor handed the other man the money belt. "One hundredth grands. I'll give him the rest once I'm safe".

Ross took a small peek inside the money belt and saw that, indeed, there was money inside. But sadly he couldn't count it in a public place. His eyes shifted from the money to Igor and tried to sound as scary as possible. "You better don't screw with Brendan". Ross stopped himself abruptly and his russet-brown eyes widened slightly in alarm, realizing that he had just revealed his boss's real name accidentally. He would be in serious problems if Brendan found out. The dumb gangster quickly made a pathetic attempt to fix it. "I mean Martin. You better don't screw with Martin. He's a very dangerous man".

"I know", Igor assured him, ignoring the '_Brendan_' gaffe. He couldn't care less about Martin's real name. He had more important things to worry about. "Now, give me the address".

Ross complied. "Oronoco St. and Alfred N St. in Alexandria. It's a small house with white bricks and a black roof".

"And you'll bring me the new documents there?", Igor asked only for confirmation.

"Yeah", Ross promised falsely. Brendan was actually planning on selling Igor out to the Russian gangsters who wanted the obese man dead.

_Then Ross quickly walked away from Igor. _

_At that same moment, Jack was still in the back of the FBI car with a scowl on his face._

_Meanwhile, Agent Jeffrey Teller was driving the vehicle with a somber expression on his face. _

_At the same time, Leo was still driving his vehicle in direction to Liev's apartment, while smoking. _

**05.24.34 – 05.24.35 – 05.24-36 – 05.24.37 PM**

**05.28.52 – 05.28.53 – 05.28-54 – 05.28.55 PM**

_Jack, Jeffrey and Dale Reynolds arrived to the FBI DC Headquarters. _

_Right then, Brandon Turner and Lenny Charters were processing the scene in the construction site. _

_Simultaneously, Igor was driving the red Volvo, heading to Alexandria._

_Meanwhile, Renee was still lying in the hospital bed, talking on the phone with his deputy. _

The chief of staff was holding a folder with the state of the union address in her hands while her assistant Zoe held a cellphone by Renee's year. Renee was reviewing the state of the union over the phone with the Caldwell Coleman. She read out loud a part about a tax relief. "_This tax relief is for everyone who pays income taxes__ and it will help our economy immediately. Ninety__…". _

The white house communications director, who was sitting behind his desk, then interrupted her gently to make a correction. "We changed _everyone_ for _any American_ and _immediately_ for _straight away_. Lynnete felt it sounded stronger".

Renee nodded approvingly and wrote down the change. "She's right". Then she proceeded to read the paragraph again. "_This tax relief is for any American who pays income taxes and it will help our economy straight away. Ninety two million Americans will keep this year an average of almost $1,100 more of their own money. A family of four with an income of $40,000 would see their federal income taxes fall from $1,178 to $45 per year_".

"And we added a new line", Caldwell informed her, as he read from his own copy of the speech. "_This tax relief is an absolute good for Americans in the near future, but is even better for Americans today__". _

"That's good", Renee approved as she wrote the line down. "But what about this part…". She browsed through the pages and read a highlighted part in the homeland security section. "_I__ am proud to report our country is indeed 'stranger' than it was two years ago_?".

"That's a typo. We meant _stronger_", Caldwell clarified.

Renee made the pertinent correction in her copy of the speech. "That's what I thought…. Although, I guess it's true either way". Her smartass remark got a soft chuckle out of Caldwell.

Zoe's cellphone then rang, so Renee had to hold her own cellphone and the young woman walked away to take the call.

"George thinks we can't claim the country is stronger when eight months ago the Kamistani president was murdered in our soil and a terrorist group nearly annihilated half Manhattan", Caldwell reported, as he scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to think. "I guess our vulnerability showed then".

Renee's bruised features darkened as she recalled that horrible spring day. "But we faced those difficulties and recovered from such blows".

The communications director pressed his lips together and pierced the sheet of paper before him with his big heavy-lidded grayish-blue eyes as he considered the issue. "I guess you're right".

The chief of staff then bit her lower lip. She had to move on to a much more uncomfortable topic. "Listen… I guess you already know about the situation with Valery Layton".

"Don't worry about it", Caldwell told her immediately. "We can handle it".

Renee was still very much concerned. "If you think I should give the president my resignation…"

"We can handle it", Caldwell repeated more firmly. "This won't become a big thing. We won't let it".

At that moment, Zoe handed Renee a note that said '_Jeffrey Teller needs to talk to you ASAP_' and had a phone number written in it. The chief of staff read it and raised her thin eyebrows. Next she addressed the communications director. "Look, Cal, something happened with the FBI. I have to go".

Caldwell understood perfectly and felt a little bit worried. "Okay".

Renee disconnected the call and then dialled the number written on the paper.

In the FBI headquarters, Dale was questioning Jack in one of the offices while Jeffrey watched them with a frown and his arms folded across his chest. Then Jeffrey's cell began ringing. He took the call after barely one ring. "Teller".

"Jeffrey, it's me, Renee", she told him talking fast.

"Hi", Jeffrey greeted her with an extremely serious tone.

The Chief of staff was anxious to know what was happening. It sounded important. "You wanted to talk to me. What's going on?".

"We found Jack"., Jeffrey announced, thinking Renee was expecting so.

She was puzzled. Supposedly, Jack was at a meeting with the secretary of defence. "Found him?"

Jeffrey thought Renee was just playing dumb to cover up her own involvement. She was Leo's best friend and Jack's fiancée. The woman had to be involved. "Renee, we know he's been assisting Leo".

Renee was even more confused. "What are you talking about?".

He FBI agents narrowed his brown eyes with suspicion. "Are you saying you didn't know…?".

The chief of staff interrupted him sharply with a no-nonsense tone. "What's going on, Jeffrey?".

Jeffrey didn't quite believe Renee was completely innocent. But, in the off chance she really knew nothing, Jeffrey smoothly summarized the situation for her. "Leo killed three Russian gangsters in a construction site. Apparently they tried to kill him first, but Jack went to his rescue _instead of turning him in_. But then Leo threatened him, with a gun. We found Jack tied up to a pole".

Feeling overwhelmed, she took all the information in. She had more questions than answers. Who were those gangsters? Why were they trying to kill Leo? What the hell was Jack thinking, helping a federal fugitive? And why on earth would Leo threaten Jack and tie him to a pole? Leo was going insane. She felt her head spinning out of control. "Leo threatened _Jack_?"

"Jack claims he was trying to stop Leo and turn him in, so Leo threatened and tied him to a pole", Jeffrey explained. He made a short pause to let Renee absorb all the information before adding the most important part, "But Renee…. Even if he _was_ trying to turn him in". And Jeffrey clearly didn't think that was the case. "The fact that he knew were Leo was and went there without telling us… that's bad. I had to tell the attorney general".

Renee's face remained hard like a stone. She acted surprisingly calm, trying not to show her emotions. "I understand". She swallowed. "Where's Jack now?".

"He's giving a statement at the headquarters", he told her. "Want to talk to him?"

"Not right now", Renee said, surprising Jeffrey. She was too angry at Jack to talk to him at the moment. He had lied to her and gotten himself in big legal trouble, potentially embarrassing the president. She wanted to strangle him. "Just send me all the information you've got".

**05.33.23 – 05.33.24 – 05.33-25 – 05.33.26 PM**

**Arlington, Virginia.- ****Liev's apartment- ****915 Nelson Street, apartment 2.b.**

Leo finally arrived to the apartment of Liev. Just in case, he drew his weapon and readied it before forcing the door open. He walked in and took a look at the living room. It was empty. Soon, to his surprise, a very young girl emerged from the bathroom. The extremely thin girl couldn't be more than fifteen years old. Her body was still pretty much child-like. She had long black curls and pastel-blue eyes with long eyelashes.

The girl was naturally pretty scared by the stranger with a gun who had entered the apartment without permission.

Leo realized the girl was Liev's girlfriend because he knew that Russian gangsters often took teenage girls as concubines. It disgusted him. He lowered his weapon and talked to her in Russian with a gentle tone. "I'm not going to hurt you. Don't be scared. I just need to find Liev. Do you know where he is?". The girl just shook her head, still very frightened. "Look, he helped a man who killed my girlfriend. Please, help me find him".

The teenager shook her head again and spoke in Russian because she didn't speak English. "I can't. He'll kill me".

"You're scared of him. I understand. I bet he's a very bad man", Leo told her in Russian. The young girl nodded. "Tell me… what's your name?".

"Zara", she responded timidly.

Leo gave her a look full of compassion. "Zara, I'm Leo. And I know what that man is doing to you. I bet he makes you sleep with men and he beats you". Zara nodded, confirming what Leo knew without doubt. The sadness in her eyes was heartbreaking. "And I bet that he doesn't let you go anywhere by yourself and he doesn't let you use the phone".

The girl nodded once again. "A man said there was a job for me here as a maid. But then Liev made me sleep with him and other men".

Leo felt terrible for the poor girl. He wanted to give her a hug, but he didn't because it would only scare Zara. Instead, he decided to offer her some assistance. "Look, I can get you help. But you have to help me. Please, tell me where Liev is. Please".

The girl shook his head, refusing to cooperate. "He's going to kill me. He's dangerous. Very dangerous".

"He won't kill you", Leo promised sincerely. "You can hide in my apartment. Nobody is there anyway". Cooper was with his grandparents in their hotel room. "And then you can call a very nice woman called Renee Walker. She'll help you leave town and get a decent job. I swear. She's a very powerful woman", he added reassuringly. The girl still looked doubtful. "You don't have to stay with him, Zara. You can leave and make a better life for yourself. Whether you want to go back to your country or stay here Renee can make it happen".

Zara thought about it for a moment. She really wanted to leave the horrible man who beat her. She was scared. But the nice American man assured her that she wouldn't get hurt. She finally nodded agreeing with Leo's proposal. "Okay".

Leo then grabbed a piece of paper he saw over the table and a pen. He wrote something down and handed it to Zara. "This is the address of my apartment and Renee's phone number". Then he grabbed the keys of his apartment and gave them to Zara. He wasn't planning on going back anyway. "This are the keys. Now, could you please tell me where that man is?".

"He is with other men in a place called café Milano", she told him.

He nodded. "I know where that is". It was in Georgetown, very close to his apartment. "Do you know what kind of car is he driving?".

The girl shook her head. "It's navy blue. And it has a sticker of Jesus. But I don't know more about it".

"Okay. Thank you". After thanking her, Leo left the apartment.

**05.36.01 – 05.36.02 – 05.36-03 – 05.36.04 PM**

**Washington DC. – Capitol Building. **

The director of White House Secret Service operations, Nathaniel O'Malley, was at the command post secret service had set at the capitol to work in the security for the state of the Union address. He was busy supervising the work of other agents. Then he saw Agent Evan McDonnell walking towards him with a female agent. The female agent was a beautiful woman with short sandy-brown hair and dark-brown eyes. She also had a couple of brown moles on her right cheek.

Nathan approached her with a smile. "Agent Kirshner I presume?".

Mandy smiled back at him and they shook hands. "Yes. It's very nice to meet you, agent O'Malley".

"Likewise. Did you have a nice flight?", Nate asked politely. The woman he knew as Melinda Kirshner had just arrived from Venezuela, where she had worked to catch terrorists from Iran that wanted to kill President Taylor.

Mandy had actually caught those terrorists to pass successfully for a Secret service agent. He had infiltrated the secret service a few years before. She had been assigned to the office in Arkansas where nobody knew her. Only a select group of agents had access to her file.

She smiled again and answered the question. "It was very nice, thank you".

"I see you came to my seminars", Nathan commented.

"That's right", Mandy confirmed with a seductive smile. "They are very interesting".

They exchanged smiles once again. Then Nathan turned deadly serious. "Let me be honest with you, Agent Kirshner, I'm not sure if I should let you be involved in the security for tonight. You have just come back after all".

Evan then stepped in the conversation very quickly. "I can assure you, sir. She's more than ready for this assignment", he assured him. "She has experience securing buildings because she does so whenever President Taylor goes to Arkansas. And she's done the same for every president since Charles Logan".

"I'm ready, sir", Mandy affirmed with a great deal of confidence. "I've been dreaming about an important assignment like this since I joined the service". She wasn't exactly lying right then. Blowing up the capitol was her dream hit. It was challenging and very exciting. It wasn't a piece of cake like poisoning David Palmer or framing Richard Heller.

Nathan believed her. "Okay. You can work with Evan. He'll teach you the protocols for tonight".

Mandy nodded. "Thank you sir".

"Thank you", Evan said.

The two young agent and Mandy walked away from Nathan. Once they were sure nobody could hear them, Evan spoke. "I told you he wouldn't recognize you".

The beautiful assassin was still worried. "But Jack Bauer might".

Evan shook his hand dismissively as they kept walking. "Don't worry about Bauer. He'll be dead soon. He won't run into you".

At that moment, they saw a young female agent called Tara Banning approaching them. The make agent was surprised to see her. "Tara, I didn't know you had a double shift today".

"Trevor got sick and I drew the short straw", Tara explained with a charming smile.

Evan smiled back and then proceeded to make the pertinent introductions. "This is Agent Melinda Kirshner"

The women shook hands.

**05.37.44 – 05.37.45 – 05.37-46 – 05.37.47 PM**

**FBI Headquarters **

Jack, Agent Teller and Agent Reynolds were in the FBI headquarters, in a room that was used to debrief witnesses. Jack had been on that room before, the day he met Renee an agent had taken his statement there. He couldn't believe that had been less than two years before.

"So, are you saying that Craig called you around 4 PM?", Dale Reynolds asked only for confirmation, since Jack had already told them.

"Yes", Jack confirmed, not hiding his annoyance. "I told you. He called me and told me his life was in danger, Three Russian gangsters had taken him hostage. So I traced the phone and went to save him". He obviously omitted the past where Chloe had actually traced the phone. He wouldn't get his intelligent friend in trouble. "When I got there I found him fighting with the Russians and I saw him killing them on self defense". Jack didn't mention hitting two of those Russians with his car. "It turns out that my help was not needed after all".

Jeffrey knew Jack was lying and felt furious at the guy. "On self defense? One of those men was buried up to his neck with _two_ of his toes missing".

Jack realized that the evidence was too damming. He had to tell the truth. "Okay. He killed the other two men on self defense, but he interrogated the youngest one".

"Interrogated him?", Jeffrey looked in complete disbelief and felt outraged. "Interrogated him? Is that how you call such act of brutality? He tortured the guy!".

"Mr. Bauer, did you help Craig torture the man?", Dale asked, knowing what Jack used to do to people.

Jack shot him an angry dart with his eyes. "Of course not. I tried to stop him but he tied me to a pole. You saw me".

Then Jeffrey continued to question Jack. "And, tell me, what did Craig find out?".

"Nothing. The guy never broke", Jack lied like an expert.

It was then Dale who went on with the questioning. "What kind of things did Craig do to him?"..

Jack wasn't planning on giving so much information. "You'll find out when they do the autopsy"

Jeffrey gave him a _don't-mess-with-me_ stare. "Bauer…"

Jack didn't let him talk. He just lied to him without even blinking. "I saw nothing, Teller. I was unconscious most of the time He hit me pretty bad in the head".

Jeffrey didn't believe him. He approached the table, rested his hands on it and leaned towards Jack with a threatening tone. "Are you sure that's what happened?".

Not wanting to take it any longer, Jack stood up abruptly and shot pulverizing rays at Jeffrey with his aquamarine-green eyes. "Who do you think you are talking to? I'm not going to just sit here while you call me a liar. I can have your ass fired any time I want".

Far from being scared, Jeffrey looked defiant. "On what ground are they going to fire me, Bauer?".

Arrogantly, Jack got on his face. "Gross incompetence". He then stepped back a little. "You failed to catch Igor Laitanan. Craig escaped and murdered people on your watch. And, when the Chief of Staff was kidnapped, _I_ was the one who rescued her. Your people couldn't find her".

Jeffrey's face darkened significantly. "None of that was my fault".

Jack didn't care at all about what Jeffrey was saying. And he didn't feel like arguing with the guy. All he wanted was to go to the hospital to see Renee. "That's for Tim Woods to decide", he stated. "I already told you everything I know". Saying that, he turned around and walked to the door.

"Bauer, I didn't say you could go", Jeffrey protested.

Jack ignored him and left the room. After that, he walked through the bullpen and reached the elevator. He took his cellphone and dialed Renee's number.

At the hospital, Renee was still lying on her bed and reading some reports. She heard her cellphone ringing and checked the caller ID, realizing it was Jack. Her expression became angry as she took the call and her tone was dry. "Jack".

Jack could sense she was angry and knew very well why. "Listen…".

Renee didn't let him talk. "You lied to me. You lied to me and went to help Leo".

Jack got in the elevator while he defended himself. "His life was in danger".

She wasn't going to accept that excuse. "You could have sent the authorities. You didn't have to go yourself and help him. Are you even aware of what you did? You abetted a fugitive. You could go to jail". As Jack's fiancée the idea terrified her. Plus, as White House Chief of staff, she had to think about the political consequences. "And the president of the United States trusted you, Jack. She made you her national security advisor. You going to jail would embarrass her. It could hurt her bad".

Twenty years of being married to Teri had taught Jack to apologize even when he didn't think he had done something wrong. "I'm sorry".

Renee knew him too well to fall for that one. "You are not sorry. You think you did the right thing".

The elevator reached its destination and jack walked out of it. He didn't want to argue over the phone anymore. "Look, we should talk about this in person".

"Yeah", Renee agreed feeling beat.

"See you in a few minutes". Jack then hung up the phone.

**05.40.55 – 05.40.56 – 05.40-57 – 05.40.58 PM**

**Suitland- Silver Hill, Maryland. – Howe Av. and Lewis Av. – Brendan Marson's apartment**

Brendan was finishing arming a bomb while his son Nolan was working on the other one. Then, Teddy Blackstone walked into the room. The cute woman with chartreuse-green eyes was Brendan's girlfriend even though he was twenty eight years older than she was. She smiled and held him from behind wrapping his waist with her arms. "Babe, Mandy took the bomb, didn't she?".

"Yes. She did", Brendan assured her. "Hers is ready. These ones are the ones the guys and I will plant".

"They are almost ready", Nolan added.

Brendan took his electric blue eyes from the bomb for a second and looked at his girlfriend. "You have the uniforms?".

Teddy nodded. "Yeah".

"And the badges?", he asked her with concern.

"Yes", the cute nerdy woman reassured her boyfriend. "Don't worry. They look very real".

Brendan relaxed slightly. "Good". Then his cellphone rang. He looked at the caller Id screen and it said '_Brooke_'. He knew very well who Brooke was and she knew who he was. But they used each other's aliases in case someone heard them. His lips curbed up in a smile. "Hello, Brooke".

The mysterious woman greeted him back. "Martin. How are things going over there?".

"Everything is fine", Brendan assured his associate. "We are ready".

Brooke was genuinely concerned in spite of Brendan's words. What if things went wrong? "This better work. Joseph is already furious because Walker is still breathing".

The mercenary was not very worried. "She'll die at the thing anyway".

"She won't. If we take out Bauer she won't go to the thing, she'll go home to cry a river", the woman pointed out, not leaving room for doubt.

Brendan pondered about it for a moment and realized the woman was right. "Good point. But we need to take him out before the thing so he won't recognize Mandy". He didn't say anything Brooke didn't know already. Very quickly, he offered a solution. "My people and I can ambush her in her own house".

"Okay. But she's protected by two secret service agents", Brooke warned him.

The 56 year old man was still very confident. "My men and I can take them".

"I hope so", the woman said somberly. "What about Laitanan?".

"Jacobi's men will ambush him in my safe apartment", he stated confidently.

Brooke gave a slightly sight of relief. "Good. Now I have to go. I'll talk to you later".

Brendan nodded. "Okay".

_The mercenary then went back to arming the bomb. _

_At the same time, Jack was driving back to the hospital._

_At that moment, Leo was driving to where Liev was._

_Right then, Mandy and Evan were pretending to revise the security protocol. _

**05.42.18 – 05.42.19 – 05.42-57 – 05.42.58 PM**

**05.45.01 – 05.45.02 – 05.45-03 – 05.45.04 PM**

_Nathan and the other agents were rehearsing for a possible evacuation._

_Meanwhile, Garrick and Arizona were standing right outside Renee's hospital bedroom. . _

_Simultaneously, Renee was still in her hospital bed, working. _

_At that moment, Leo was arriving to Café Milano. _

He got out of the Porsche he had stolen from the late doctor and walked towards a place in Georgetown called Café Milano, located at 3251 Prospect St. NW.Leo discretely looked through the window of the café. He then saw the man who had murdered Jacob Bukin, Liev Mastrosov. The Russian gangster was a big man, bald, who had a black soul patch and granite-grey eyes. Right then, Liev was eating and drinking with other men, who Leo presumed were other gangsters.

The American observed his target for a moment. But he unfortunately couldn't do anything while the man was in a public place.

He looked around and saw a Navy-blue lotus parked nearby with a sticker of Jesus. It had to be Liev's car. Leo took some supplies he needed for the task and easily opened the door's car and disconnected the alarm. He then hid on the back seat and waited for his target.

**05.46.09 – 05.46.10 – 05.46-11 – 05.46.12 PM**

**Washington DC. – Capitol Building. **

Inside the main chamber of the Capitol building, Nathan O'Malley had gathered a large group of agents to do a drill and practice what to do in case of emergency. They practiced quite often. But Nate was not happy with the results. "People, last time it took us two minutes". He lifted two fingers for emphasis. "Two minutes to put the president into the motorcade. That is unacceptable. Unacceptable. We must do better than that. It is our duty to make sure President Taylor gets to safely give the state of the union and we must be well prepared for everything. In our line of work, failure is not an option".

Agent Jerry Bradshaw, the second in command, stood next to Nate with an equally serious expression. He stepped up to add something more positive. "We can all do better. You guys are here because you are truly great at this job. Now, everybody assume your positions and let's practice situation 16".

All the agents did as they were told. Agent Tara Banning stood in the podium because she was playing the part of the president. Nathan assumed his position as well and set the chronometer. "Now!",

Jerry played the part of the attacker and aimed a gun at Tara.

Instantly, Agent Derrick Albertson and Hank Brewer yelled "Gun!" and run to tackle and disarm Jerry who got to fire a fake gun they used for drills.

Agent Trevor Montgomery jumped and stood between Tara and the bullet.

Nathan scooped Tara up like Kevin Costner in '_The body guard_' and ran towards an exit with her. Other agents surrounded them to keep the crowd away from them. Nathan ran with Tara in his arms with the other agents clearing the way for him.

Soon enough, Nathan got to the motorcade with Tara, put her inside and got in with her. Then he checked the chronometer. He nodded, now pleased. He got out of the motorcade. "A minute and ten seconds. Good job everybody", he announced to everyone's relief. "Now, let's practice situation 32".

Once again, all the agents assumed their positions. Except this time agent Penny Hanson played the president while Tara went to cover one of the exits. Penny stood by the podium. Nathan was near her and got the chronometer back to 0. "Now!".

Agent Trevor Montgomery yelled "bomb!" and simultaneously ran towards Penny, and pushed her far away from the podium. Nathan ran quickly towards Penny and scooped her up. With her in his arms, he ran towards the exit while other agents opened the way for him. He left the capitol, put Penny in the motorcade and got in with her.

He checked the chronometer and felt pleased. "One minute and 8 seconds Great job".

**05.48.14 – 05.48.15 – 05.48-16 – 05.48.17 PM**

**Virginia Medical Center**

Jack walked into Virginia Medical Center and headed to Renee's bedroom. Right outside, he saw Agent Arizona Rush with a male agent he didn't know. "Hi. So, you two are assigned to Renee?".

"Yes, sir", Garrick replied with a military tone.

Jack gave him a distrustful look. "I don't know you".

"I'm Special Agent Garrick Adamson, sir", he told him, again using a military tone and with a solemn expression. He decided to give the man more information to reassure him. "On 2002 I graduated from Notre Dame with a mayor in chemistry and got a master degree in forensic sciences. Then I joined the service. Since last may I've been guarding the entrance to the EEOB. Before that I was in Charles Logan's detail". He didn't add the part where he had been taken from Logan's detail shortly before the former president tried to commit suicide. He had been reassigned for failing to smile back at the corrupt man, giving him an angry stare instead.

Jack was satisfied with the man's resume. Then his eyes shifted to Arizona. "Agent Rush, no offense, but the man who wants to kill Renee is three times your size. Will you be able to take him?".

Garrick and Arizona exchanged pointed looks. They both knew what they had to do. He moved forward like an attacker would. Then Arizona easily grabbed him, flipped him onto the floor, pulled her weapon, and put it in his face. She then looked triumphantly at Jack. "I had to grow up with the name Arizona. I learnt how to handle big bullies".

Jack was genuinely impressed. "Okay then". He gave the woman half a smile. "Excuse me, now I have to see Renee".

Garrick nodded and opened the door for him. "Of course".

He walked into the bedroom and saw Renee with Zoe and Angie by her side. "Hey"

Anger was then in Renee's eyes. "Hi". She looked at the other women in the room. "Please, I need a minute".

Angie and Zoe nodded and left immediately.

Jack attempted getting closer to his fiancée. "Look, I know you're mad at me…".

"How could you?", she asked rhetorically, visibly hurt. "You lied to me, you hid from me the fact that my best friend was in danger and you broke the law".

"To help your best friend", Jack reminded her. "He was about to get killed and I don't think he deserves to go to jail".

Renee sighed with clear exasperation. "Hasn't it occurred to you that going to jail could actually be what's best for him?"

Jack was sceptical. "How do you figure?",

"If he goes now, I can get him a short sentence. If he stays free, he's going to continue doing crazy things and I won't be able to protect him". She was actually very worried about Leo. She was afraid of what he might do. She feared for Jack too. "And what if you go to jail? You never think about the consequences of your actions".

Jack frowned feeling deeply outraged. "I think about the consequences of my actions"

"Right. You just don't care. You do whatever you want, even if it hurts those who love you".

He stepped back like she had slapped him. Then he tightened his jaw feeling angry. "I think I better leave now".

Renee nodded in agreement. "I think you better leave too".

Jack headed to the door. But, before leaving, he turned around and gave Renee a look. She looked so cold. He was going to say something. But then he didn't and just left the room.

She watched him leave with her heart aching and then she leaned back against the pillow looking at the closed door dismayed.

**05.51.16 – 05.51.17 – 05.51-18 – 05.51.19 PM**

**Alexandria, Virginia - Oronoco St. and Alfred N St. – Brendan's Safe apartment**

In the living room of the apartment, Igor Laitanan was sitting on the black leather couch watching TV while eating a big sandwich leaving crumbs all over the place.

On the TV, a news anchor was giving the news, "Now White House Chief of Staff Renee Walker is recovering well at Virginia Medical Center after being kidnapped". A photo of Renee with President Taylor in the Oval office was then shown as the anchor talked. "Reportedly, Walker will go back to the White House within the hour and give a press statement. Meanwhile, the FBI is looking for the man responsible for the kidnapping". A photo of Igor popped up in the screen. "Igor Laitanan. If you see him, call 911".

Igor frowned and changed the channels.

On the other channel, another news anchor was talking while a photo of Leon Craig was shown on the screen. "At this moment, the FBI is looking for Leon Craig, FBI director, for the murder of a suspect called Jacob Bukin". A mug photo of Jacob briefly appeared on the screen. "Craig was taken into custody immediately after Bukin was found dead, but he escaped after shooting one of his fellow agents and a police officer". Then they put another photo of Leo, this time a picture of him, Renee and Allison. "A White House senior official revealed that Craig's involvement in the murder has not been actually proven".

Seeing the faces of Leo and Renee on the screen infuriated Igor. It made his blood boil. Very harshly, he threw the remote at the TV.

Suddenly, Igor heard the sound of someone trying to break into the apartment. He immediately ducked behind the couch for cover; he readied his gun and also took a knife he had used to cut the bread. Those were the weapons he had handy.

Soon, four Russian men busted into the apartment. A short man with brown hair, a blonde man, a black-haired man and a very tall man in green clothes.

From behind the couch, Igor threw the knife and easily stuck it in the black-haired man's throat, killing him. Simultaneously, he fired his gun and managed to hit but not kill the short man and the blonde one.

The men fired right back at him but Igor remained covered.

The obese Russian popped out of the cover and returned the fire while running to the bedroom. This time he hit the very tall guy.

The short guy and the blonde one chased him and managed to shoot him in his left side and his right tight.

Wounded for the second time in two hours, Igor hid in the bedroom behind the bed.

The short guy and the blonde one busted into the bedroom, but they didn't get to fire their weapons. Igor masterly shot both of them in the head.

Feeling the pain in his left side and his right tight, he headed back to the living room. He saw that the very tall man was actually still alive, but barely moving. So Igor coldly shot the guy in the head.

He first dragged the body of the black-haired man into the bedroom and hid it there. After that, he did the same with the body of the very tall man.

Then he looked at the bodies and wondered what he should do. It was clear that those men worked for Ivan Jacobi. The apartment was no longer safe. Jacobi would send more men. Igor then thought of an idea to buy himself more time.

He took the short guy's cellphone and saw an incoming message from 'AJ', who had to be Andrian Jacobi. The message said '_Is it done?_'.

Igor texted back saying, '_Yes. Laitanan is dead_'.

Fifteen seconds later, another text came. _'Good. We'll see you at 10 pm at the restaurant.'_

Igor replied the text instantly. _'Okay' _

At ten PM the Jacobis would realize that their men four were dead. Igor had until then to hide and think about what to do. The FBI was looking for him, the Jacobis wanted him dead and 'Martin Willard' had obviously betrayed him. What could he do? He had no idea. But he knew that he had to leave the apartment and hide somewhere else.

He picked up his stuff, left the apartment and went to a different one across the hall, while blood leaked through his latest wounds. He then rang the doorbell.

A Jewish woman in her late seventies called Judith Solomon, who lived in that apartment, headed to get the door. "Who is it?".

"They told me there might be a gas leak here. I came to fix it", Igor lied.

Judith was surprised and confused. "I don't smell any gas".

"Your neighbour says he smells gas coming from here", he lied again, getting impatient.

The old woman then got scared. What if the apartment exploded or she died because of the carbon monoxide? She sighed and got the door open.

Igor immediately grabbed her, covered her mouth, and put a gun on her head. "Don't say a word, old lady. I'm gonna have to stay here for a little while".

The terrified woman could only bring herself to nod.

**05.59.56 – 05.59.57 – 05.59-58 – 05.59.59 PM**

**06 PM**


	11. After This, Hell Is Gonna Feel

**Author's note:** Thank you to my reviewers for their constant support. They are too few but loyal. I put a lot of time and effort in this story and it's nice to know it's appreciated.

I'm sorry it took me this long to update. I've been busy with college and writing original stuff I want to publish.

**Disclaimer:** The show's not mine. Neither are the characters. I just own the necklace Elisha Cubert used on season 7, the earrings Cherry Jones used on season 8, Marie Warner's purse and the complete set of DVDs.

**CHAPTER 11:**

"**After this, hell is gonna feel like a vacation to you"**

**Previously: **Renee found out that Jack went to help Leo instead of turning him to the authorities. She was furious that he lied to her, risked going to jail and exposed the White House to a mayor scandal.

Leo went to Liev's apartment. In there he found Zara, an adolescent girl Liev brought from Ukraine as sex slave. The girl told Leo where to find Liev. Leo told her to call Renee for help and then went to find Liev. Leo found the Russian gangster, who was in a café with other gangsters, and hid in Liev's car to wait for him.

Mandy showed up in the capitol posing as Secret Service agent Melinda Kirshner.

Agent Evan McDonnell is a mole.

The group is going to have Jack killed before the state of the union so he doesn't run into Mandy.

Reporter Valery Layton found out that seven years ago Renee was raped by Vladimir, then slept willingly with him for eight months and got pregnant. The press also found out that Renee killed Vladimir, so Renee plans to tell part of her story to press in order to control the story.

Igor turned to Brendan Marson for help and offered him money in exchange for documents and a place to hide. Brendan pretended to help him but then sold him to the mob.

While Igor was hiding in Brendan's safe apartment, four men appeared to kill him, but he killed them all and made their boss believe their succeeded. Then he left the apartment and hid at the place of an old woman called Judith Solomon.

_The following takes place between 06.00 PM and 07.00 PM, on the day of the State of the Union Address_.

**January 29th 2019 – Wednesday**

**06.03.53 PM **

**Georgetown, Washington DC.**

Leo was hiding in the back seat of Liev Mastrosov's Navy-blue lotus. The vehicle was parked across from Café Milano, located in Georgetown at 3251 Prospect St. NW. In that café the Russian gangster was meeting other gangsters to talk business. The American was getting anxious. He had spent twenty minutes waiting for the big bald gangster with a black soul patch and granite-grey eyes.

Finally, the gangster left the café and got to his car and got it started. Instantly, Leo put a Glock 19 gun in the back of the other man's head. "Don't move, Mastrosov", he ordered with a cold tone. "Now drive to the nearest deserted area". Liev didn't see any other choice, so he obeyed. They were silent for a moment. Then Leo asked the jackpot question. "Why are you helping Igor Laitanan". The Russian said nothing, which infuriated Leo. "Why?!" . There was another pause and Liev continued driving without saying a word. "Why did you kill Jacob Bukin?"

"I won't answer any of your questions. So don't bother asking", the Russian told him, while thinking of a plan to get out of the crappy situation he was in.

"Where can I find Laitanan?", Leo asked, uselessly. Then he noticed an address written with a pen on the back of Liev's hand._'Oronoco St. and Alfred N St, 3A. Alexandria, Virginia'. _"What's that address?"

It was the address of the apartment where Igor was hiding. Liev had written it down when they gave it to him in order to give it to the men who worked for him and the Jacobis. Of course, he wouldn't give Craig such information.

They both remained silent. After driving for a while, they reached an area with few people on the streets. Liev then decided to act. He harshly hit Leo's face with an elbow and made the American drop the weapon. Livid, Leo used an arm to choke the Russian, who lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle crashed against a house that was luckily unoccupied at the moment.

Then Leo moved to the front seat and punched the other man in the face. Liev punched back with an incredible force. The American tried to choke the Russian again. The Russian managed to free himself and tried to choke Leo, who also managed to free himself. Both men were equally strong and extremely good fighters.

A few innocent bystanders had gathered around the car to watch the fight that was taking place inside a vehicle. One of them called 911.

Leo was running out of time. He banged Liev's hairless head against the window of the car, which broke down. Liev then banged Leo's head against the windshield that also broke. The American then grabbed a piece of broken glass. He managed to hold a struggling Liev and finally sliced the Russian's throat.

Realizing the authorities had been called, Leo got out of the vehicle and ran away as fast as humanly possible. The people gathered in the scene were too afraid of him to try to stop him.

Leo then easily stole a red Volvo and headed to the address on Liev's hand to check it out. Maybe there was something important there.

**06.08.29 - 06.08.30 - 06.08.31 - 06.08.32 PM **

**Washington DC. – The White House**

Finally, Renee arrived to the White House with her assistant Zoe and the White House Press secretary, Angela Nelson. They were being escorted by Secret Service agents Arizona Rush and Garrick Adamson. As they walked down the hallway, people dropped whatever they were doing and watched with admiration how the Chief of Staff got back to work right after being abducted by a Russian gangster. She was impeccable wearing a navy-blue Ralph Lauren skirt suit, and her hair was somewhat wet because she had just taken a shower in the hospital.

The women walked by Jack's office. Right outside, they saw Ruth Carmichael, Jack's assistant, and Nora McNally, his deputy. Ruth smiled and greeted Renee enthusiastically. "Ms. Walker, it's very nice to see you. I'm glad you're doing well".

"We have been praying for you, Renee", Nora added softly. Her perfect face and emerald eyes yelled compassion.

Renee gave them a polite smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Thank you". She then addressed the tallest of the women. "Nora, I'm gonna need you to put me up to speed on what's going on with Russia and Kamistan".

Nora was a bit surprised by the request. "I… I thought you'd want Jack to do that".

Jack and Renee had fought over his breaking the law to help Leo. But she didn't want the blonde woman to know that. "He's tied up at the moment. Please, see me within the hour".

Nora gave the other woman a sweet smile. "Of course. I… I thought he was coming back from the hospital with you. When is he coming back?".

"I'm not sure. But it won't be long", Renee replied showing no emotion. Then she addressed the press secretary, "Angie, you should talk to him about… about the thing with Layton".

Angela looked at Renee with a mix of confusion and surprise. "Don't you want to do it?",

"I don't have the time", Renee just told her rapidly and, without adding anything else, she walked away with Zoe by her side.

As they walked down the hallway in direction to the Chief of staff's office, one young assistant smiled and greeted Renee enthusiastically. "Good to see you, Ma'am".

A male intern was also pleased to see that Renee was up an about. "You look good, Ms. Walker". Actually, Renee had a dark-purple bruise shaped like a half-moon on the left side of her freckled face and two puffy purple circles under her eyes. She also had a purple circle above her right eyebrow and a bigger purple circle on the right cheek. But the intern was trying to cheer her up.

Renee smiled a little in appreciation. "Thank you".

Finally, they reached the antechamber of Renee's office. Eric Denzel Pratt, Renee's first assistant, was there, working by his desk as usual. He immediately stood up as he saw Renee. "Ms. Walker…". He got suddenly very emotional. Both of Renee's assistants were very fond of her.

The Chief of staff could easily tell the young black man was still shaken up by the events of the past couple of hours. She wasn't very affectionate with people in general but she had grown fond of his assistant, so she approached him and took his hands between hers. She had seen President Taylor have the same gesture with the people she truly liked thousands of times. "I'm fine, Eric". She had said _I'm fine_ hundredths of times in the past two hours.

"I'm so glad", Eric told her sincerely and then he proceeded to give her the news. "Mr. and Mrs. Stockard are waiting for you in your office with Cooper. And the president wants to see you after her meeting with Secretary Heller".

She nodded in acknowledgment and then walked into her office. Effectively, Tom and Julia Stockard were there with Cooper; while a secret service agent stood nearby guarding the office. Liz's parents and son looked understandably devastated. Renee's heart ached for all of them.

Cooper's face lighted up slightly when he saw Renee. The affectionate kid rushed to give her a hug. "Renee! I thought you were going to die too! I'm so glad he didn't kill you".

Renee returned the hug feeling moved. "Thank you, Coop". Next she held Julia's right hand and Tom's left one at the same time. "Mr. and Mrs. Stockard, I'm so sorry about Liz. I'm truly devastated".

Tom did his best to appear strong and together. "Thank you. We still can't believe this isn't a nightmare".

Tears came to Julia's eyes and she spoke with her voice nearly breaking. "She was our only child"

Renee got a little teary too. She gave the older woman a compassionate look and squeezed her hand. "I know. I… I don't know what to say".

"Nothing you can say will make us feel better", Julia said, sighed and looked down at the wooden floor.

Renee knew very well that the woman was right. After a brief moment of silence, she spoke softly again. "The president said she wanted to see you".

Tom nodded. "We saw her already. She was very nice".

"We appreciate her taking the time", the grieving mother said sincerely.

"She said mom was a patriot and a very brave woman", Cooper told Renee proudly.

"The president is right", Renee affirmed solemnly looking at the kid in the eye.

Tom and Julia exchanged a pointed look, silently deciding that it was time for them to go. "Well, we'll let you get back to work", Julia announce. "We know this is a very busy day and on TV they said you were anxious to get back to work".

The man placed then a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Darling, why don't you and Cooper go ahead? I have to talk to Ms. Walker". Julia nodded in agreement, fully aware of what her husband wanted to say, and left the office with her grandson.

Renee could guess what Tom wanted to talk about, but she had to confirm it "Sir?"

"I… I've hearing stuff on the news about Leo", Tom told her and made an awkward pause. Renee's straightened her back in alert. "He murdered a potential witness? He shot a police officer and a FBI agent? He killed three other men and tortured one of them?".

"He didn't murder the witness", Renee corrected the man instantly. Nobody knew for sure who had murdered Jacob Bukin, but she was sure it was no Leo. "But I'm afraid he did the other things". Renee had already been fully briefed on the situation by the construction site and was still in shock.

Tom was absolutely horrified. He couldn't believe someone Lizzy had loved was capable of that much violence. He had seen Leo several times in the past five months and the man had always been so respectful, nice and very sweet with Liz. "Why would he do such things?".

"He did it to find Laitanan, Mr. Stockard", Renee explained with a gentle tone. Not that Leo's intentions justified what he was doing.

The man was still confused. "Why doesn't he let the authorities arrest that son of a bitch of Laitanan?"

Renee sighed with resignation. "You have to know Leo to understand it, sir. When he was seventeen his sister Tina died in a car accident, and because Leo had been drinking, the driver who missed a red light and hit them never went to jail. As an FBI agent, he spent his entire adult life working against criminals who managed to escape justice. He doesn't trust the system". She made a very dramatic pause before adding her conclusion. "Sir, I'm pretty sure that Leo is looking for Laitanan to kill him, not to bring him to justice".

Tom took a moment to absorb the information before speaking again very sincerely. "I know what Leo wants to do is illegal. But I'll definitely be rooting for him". He sighed heavily. "Well, I should go now".

"All right. I'm sorry we met under these horrible circumstances", she told him as they shook hands.

"I'm sorry too", Tom replied sadly.

_Then Renee watched the man leave with devastation in her crystal-blue eyes. _

_Meanwhile, Leo was still driving the stolen red Volvo while smoking a Lucky Strike cigarette, _

_At that same time, many police officers were at the scene of Liev's murder. _

_At that moment, Zoe and Eric were working hard by their respective desks. _

**06.14.12 - 06.14.13 - 06.14.14 - 06.14.15 PM **

**06.17.01 - 06.17.02 - 06.17.03 - 06.17.04 PM **

_Tom, Julia and Cooper were now in Tom's car. _

_Simultaneously, paramedics were putting Liev's body in an ambulance to take him to the morgue. Some FBI agents were supervising. _

_In that moment, Leo continued to drive to where Igor Laitanan was. He had deep hatred in his hazel eyes. _

_Right then, Renee was waiting in the antechamber of the oval office. _

While she waited for the president, Patrick, the president's personal aide, worked by his desk while trying to make a conversation with the chief of staff. "You had us all very worried for a while, ma'am". Renee gave him a small smile but said nothing. The timid guy's cheeks turned a little red and he looked down feeling awkward. "I… I also wanted to say… uh, it must have been a real nightmare what you had to go through. I just… I just think you're pretty amazing".

But Renee didn't feel _'pretty amazing'_. After all, she had been kidnapped for having snapped and murdered a guy. She had done it to herself. But, naturally, she couldn't share her thoughts with the president's aide. Instead, she put up a good face. "Thank you, Patrick".

Then Susan Murray, the president's assistant, emerged from the oval with James Heller. "She can see you now, Ms. Walker".

Renee nodded acknowledging so. "Thank you".

James smiled at Renee. "We are so glad to have you with us again". He didn't like Renee's fiancé, but he had nothing against Renee herself. He thought she was a good girl. It was a pity that she had gotten involved with someone like Bauer, who destroyed everything. James had once said Jack was cursed. Renee's kidnapping had proved him right.

"It's great to be back, sir", Renee said honesty and gave him a tiny smile.

He then put a hand on her shoulder looking fatherly. "I'll see you at the capitol".

Renee nodded. "Yes. See you then". She then walked into the oval office and saw Allison was reading something while sitting in one of the couches. The presidential dog, Fox, was also there, playing cutely with a tennis ball. The puppy saw Renee and went excitedly to greet her. He sniffed her shoes and waged its tail.

Allison stood up to greet Renee as well. She was horrified by the bruises on Renee's face. Her friend didn't deserve to suffer like that. "Renee". She hurried to give her a hug.

The chief of staff hugged her back with surprise. Allison very rarely hugged people outside her family. "I'm truly okay, Ma'am".

Allison squeezed her hand now with a big smile on her face. Next she gently touched Renee's bruised cheek. "Listen, it's okay if you need to go home. You have just gone through a horrible ordeal".

Renee immediately dismissed the idea to nobody's surprise. "I want to stay. We still have the state of the union, the situation in Lithuania and the situation with Leo".

The president reluctantly agreed. "As you wish".

Both women went to sit on the cream-colored couch but the puppy was eager to play so he bit Renee's left ankle softly to play with it. Renee founded it funny but she tried to keep the ankle away from Fox. But the puppy thought she was playing. The president immediately raised her voice to scold the dog. "Fox! Bad boy! Don't do that!". The puppy at first didn't listen, so Allison used her most severe presidential tone. "Fox, I told you to stop it".

Fox then stopped playing with Renee's ankle and looked at Allison, who finally offered the four month puppy his ball so he could entertain himself. The dog then happily played with his ball.

Finally, the women sat on the couch and began their conversation. "Ma'am…", Renee began hesitantly. "There's something we need to talk about". Allison looked at her with curiosity and nodded encouraging her to go on. "While Laitanan held me hostage, he gave me injections of Hyoscine-pentothal".

The president was clearly horrified. "My goodness".

"Ma'am… the Moss-Buchanan act allows the use of that drug for interrogations", Renee reminded her gently.

Allison could see where Renee was going. "Only in very extreme circumstances".

"I think it shouldn't be allowed at all", Renee stated. She could still feel her skin burning. She had never been in so much pain in her entire life. It was far too cruel. "It feels like…". She couldn't continue talking. Her throat closed and her left hand began trembling at the horrible memory. But she swallowed and tried to appear strong. "Nobody should feel like that, ma'am".

The older woman gave her a compassionate look and held her hand. "I understand, Renee. And two years ago I was against torture too". She made a pause before continuing making her point. "But what about our national security? Jack assures me it's absolutely necessary. And look at everything that has happened since I took office".

"But we can limit the law to non-invasive methods of interrogations", Renee suggested. "And sometimes just a threat can be very effective". She made a pause to let the president absorb the words. "Ma'am… I've talked to my doctor at the hospital… Hyoscine-pentothal can cause severe permanent damage. I didn't have a stroke or a heart attack , but that'sjust because I was lucky".

The president was silent for a moment and thought carefully about what Renee was saying. She had to admit to herself that her chief of staff had a point. But… would the law be effective without the use of drugs? "I'm willing to consider this", she finally announced. "I want you, Jack and Tim Woods to investigate the issue and write independents reports on the matter".

Renee nodded. "I'll tell them". She gave the president a small appreciative smile and petted the puppy, who had now settled next to Renee and was sleeping peacefully. "I'll also tell Cal and Lynnette. They'll need to change the part about the act in the state of the union".

Allison nodded in agreement. "Yeah".

**06.20.53 - 06.20.54 - 06.20.55 - 06.20.56 PM **

Jack walked into the White House with a very serious expression on his face. He hated the fact that he and Renee were on a fight. He hated it when she was mad at him. It hurt him.

He then reached the ante chamber of his office. As expected, Ruth was working there. What surprised him was to see Angela Nelson waiting for him, sitting by a chair.

Ruth stood up immediately after seeing his boss. "Mr. Bauer, Ms. Nelson is here to see you".

Jack then addressed the woman with chestnut brown eyes and brown hair. "Angie, what can I do for you?".

They both then entered Jack's office. They remained standing up as Angie explained the reason for his visit. "Look, there's a situation with a reporter".

Jack was not so alarmed at first. He browsed through some papers as he listened to the press secretary. "What situation?"

Angela was somewhat scared. She knew Jack wouldn't react well to the news. "Please, don't be mad"

Obviously there was a reason for him to be mad. Jack wanted to know what was going on immediately. "Just tell me what it is"

The press secretary hesitated. "It's just… you are very emotional"

He didn't have time for nonsense. "Angie…"

"Okay… okay". She sighed and bit her lip fearfully. Then she lowered her voice to avoid being heard by everybody. "A reporter found out that Renee was raped by Vladimir Laitanan, then slept willingly with him for eight months and got pregnant".

Predictably, Jack frowned as anger ran through his body. "How?"

"She won't reveal the source", Angie told him. "But we are looking into it"

"And is this reporter going public with the information?", Jack asked, even though he knew the answer.

"Yeah", Angie confirmed. "I just wanted to give you the heads up, in case someone asks you about it".

"How are you going to handle it?", he asked brusquely.

"We'll deny the fact that Renee slept with him and we'll say he killed him on self defense", the press secretary said.

"She did", Jack affirmed, rather angrily. He was suddenly assaulted by the image of Renee stabbing Vladimir's dead body several times. But he was still convinced that Renee was innocent. Vladimir had driven her to that. Angie said nothing and lowered her gaze. "What reporter has this information?"

Angie didn't want to tell him because she knew the man before him would throw a fist. "Jack…"

Jack interrupted her sharply repeating the question. He was already losing his patience. "What reporter has this information?"

The press secretary sighed with resignation. "Valery Layton".

Before she even finished saying that name, Jack walked out of his office and headed to the press room.

Angie instantly followed him and tried to stop him. She couldn't let him make a scene in front of the reporters. "Jack… please, let me handle it"

Jack didn't even stop. He kept walking quickly like a mad man.

"Jack, please, don't go to the press room angry", she pleaded with desperation in her chestnut eyes.

He kept walking fast with determination. "That woman wants to hurt Renee, Angela. I can't let her do that".

"Jack, don't do it", she begged him again as she tried to keep up with him.

Jack finally arrived to the area where all the reporters worked on their respective desks. The members of the press looked at him with surprise. The national security advisor very rarely interacted with the reporters. One reporter called Sean Callahan stood up promptly. "Mr. Bauer".

"I need to talk to Valery Layton", Jack told him.

Sean pointed his index finger at a woman in her early forties, with long curly black hair, huge breasts and small deep-set steel-gray eyes. "That's her".

Jack acknowledged with a nod and headed to give the female reporter a piece of his mind. All the other reporters gathered nearby to witness the conversation. Angie grabbed Jack's arm and tried to stop him one more time. "Jack, please…"

He removed his arm from her hold and ignored her plead. He then addressed the reporter, who stood up automatically. "You don't know Renee. You don't know her at all. You have no right to spread personal information about her when you don't know all the facts, when you can't possibly understand…"

Valery interrupted him with her usual arrogance. "The first amendment gives me the right to tell the people what I know. And there's no such thing as _personal information_ when you are the president's closest advisor. I have to keep the people informed. That's my job"

"You don't give a damn about the people", Jack said with fury in his expressive aquamarine eyes. "You just want to destroy Renee to get ahead". He was clearly disgusted by the reporter's behavior. "She doesn't deserve this". To Angie's horror, Jack got in Valery's face with a very scary look. "Do you know what she's been through? Do you know what she has done for this country?"

The pesky reporter was actually intimidated by Jack. But she wouldn't back down. "Mr. Bauer, you won't keep me from doing my job".

He felt so helpless and furious. He wanted so badly to slap that reporter harshly across the face. But he couldn't do that. Instead, he grabbed her harshly by the arm and whispered a threat in his ear. "Listen to me, you little bitch… if you hurt Renee, if you cause her any pain, I'm gonna hurt you. You'll regret messing with her".

Valery just froze in fear.

Having said all he wanted to say, he left the room as the reporters followed him with their eyes.

Angie looked at the reporters awkwardly. She had some explaining to do.

**06.24.31 - 06.24.32 - 06.24.33 - 06.24.34 PM**

**Alexandria, Virginia – Oronoco St. and Alfred N St – 3A.** **Judith Solomon's apartment **

Judith was sitting on her beige couch, staring at the obese Russian man sitting in a chair that was in front of her. She was terrified. The man had taken her hostage and had a gun. She couldn't fight him. She was a petite woman in her late seventies while the man was a beast of 480 pounds. What could she do? Her only option to stay alive was to do what the man wanted.

She observed the huge beast in silence for a moment. The man was using her computer with a worried expression on his horrible scarred face. Suddenly, Judith realized something. "I know who you are".

"You know nothing", Igor groaned dismissively. He was checking buses' schedules on the old woman's computer to see when he could leave town.

The woman couldn't believe who was at her apartment. This was no ordinary thief. "You are the gangster they are looking for. You killed that woman, the FBI agent. And you kidnapped the Chief of Staff".

His features darkened. "Renee Walker is a bitch. She had it coming". He exhaled with frustration and shook his head. "I should have killed her".

"I think she's a nice person", Judith told him.

Igor frowned and shot her an angry dart with his eyes. "Listen, lady… that '_nice_' person murdered my little brother and left him disfigured, after sleeping with him just to get something from him, like a whore"

Judith was surprised to hear the man making such claims. It sounded crazy to her. "I don't think so". She shook her head. "President Taylor wouldn't even let her own daughter get away with murder. She would never make a murderer her chief of staff"

"She did", Igor assured.

The woman didn't believe him. "I don't believe you"

"I don't care", the gangster said. He then felt very hungry, since he hadn't finished his sandwich because Jacobi's men had tried to kill him. "Give me something to eat".

Judith couldn't believe that he was making such request. "What?"

"I'm hungry. I need something to eat", he practically barked at her. He then stood up and aimed his gun at the old woman. "Let's go to the kitchen".

The woman reluctantly obeyed. "I don't remember what I have".

"Let's see". Igor opened the woman refrigerator and checked out what was inside. He found a pie which had been made the day before. He took it.

Judith was visibly uncomfortable. "How long will you stay here?".

"I'm leaving around 9". Igor then devoured a piece of pie like an uneducated pig.

**06.27.09 - 06.27.10 - 06.27.11 - 06.27.12 PM**

In the lobby of the west wing of the White House, George Sullivan was patiently waiting for a group of senators who had to meet him and Renee.

Then, Payton Whitford, White House media director, walked into the lobby. Her face lighted up when she saw George. She found the geeky-looking man with deep brown hair in a crew cut very cute. His big heavy-lidded steel-grey eyes were magnetic to her. She immediately stopped to talk to him. "Hey, George".

George gave her his typical dorky smile. "Hi".

Payton looked at him with expectation in her beautiful olive-green eyes. "So, you said you'd give me a ride to the polling center?"

He then remembered having said that. He had forgotten. "Right. But this thing has come up… Renee and I have to meet some senators from the Homeland Security committee. I'll be there later than I thought"

She understood completely. "Right… Renee wants to change the Boss-Buchanan act and ban interrogations with Hyrocide-Pentoral"

George nodded. "Yeah. We want to see if the bill can pass committee with that change"

Payton was slightly disappointed. "I see"

"But hey… Why don't you sit in?", George suggested casually.

Payton was surprised by the offer. "Homeland security is not really my thing".

"But we need someone from communications there. We are gonna have to announce what we accomplished with this meeting. Cal and Lynnette are busy polishing the State of the Union, and Angie…". He trailed off and looked around, scratching the back of his head with confusion. "Well, I don't know where the hell Angie is".

"She's dealing with something Valery Layton found out about Renee", the young woman explained.

George then remembered. "Oh, right… she's investigating who is the source of the leak".

Right then they saw Wendell Draper and Myron Wilcox walking into the lobby. Myron politely shook hands with George and Payton. "Hi".

After that, Wendell shook hands with both White house staffers. "Jesus Christ. This day is insane".

George definitely agreed with the assessment. "Yes. It is".

"We are thrilled that Renee didn't get killed by that lunatic", Myron said.

Then Wendell looked at George with malicious expression. "But I imagine you must have mixed feelings about it. George".

George was deeply confused by the senator's words. "I'm sorry?".

"Well… it's no secret that you want her job", Wendell pointed out, clearly intending to hit a nerve.

Myron looked at his peer like saying '_no, you didn't_'.

Payton widened her eyes in shock. She couldn't believe the nerve of Senator Draper.

George was naturally outraged by the insinuation. "How dare you…? How dare you imply that I'm less than overjoyed with Renee's survival?" He approached the senator in an intimidating manner. His steel-grey eyes were shooting angry darts. He was skinny and nerdy, but he could be very intimidating as well. He possessed the power of intimidation needed to negotiate on behave of the President of the United States. "Yes, I want to be Chief of Staff. But Renee Walker is great at what she does. She's a patriot. She's strong and courageous. And the president loves her like a daughter. So, no, sir… I don't have _mixed feelings_. I'm 100 percent happy to have Renee still with us".

Senator Draper looked down uncomfortably, not really knowing what to respond, while Myron and Payton smiled at him victoriously.

For a moment, there was a very awkward silence. Then senators Mackenzie Goddard and Wesley Elbridge walked into the lobby. The female senator from Florida greeted everyone innocently. She didn't know why there was so much tension in the air. "Hello".

They all greeted the new arrivals with '_hello_'s, '_Hey_'s and nods. Then George proceeded to make the proper introductions. "This is Payton Whitford, our new Media Director. Payton, these are Senators Draper, Goddard, Wilcox and Elbridge".

Payton gave them a polite smile. "A pleasure to meet you all".

Wesley returned the smile. He found the woman with wavy black hair and olive-green eyes very attractive. "Nice meeting you two".

"Please, follow me", George then told the group as he headed to Renee's office. They arrived to the antechamber of the office and saw the assistants working. George addressed Eric. "Is she there?".

"She's still with the president", Eric informed.

Nobody said anything for a very awkward moment. Then Wesley decided to break the silence by making a comment to the attractive media director. "So, Payton… that's an unusual name".

"Yeah. I was named after my great grandfather Peter Payton". She began babbling the story of her name very fast. She was a very friendly person who liked to talk a lot. "He only had daughters so he wouldn't be able to pass on his family name. That's why he started the tradition of naming the children with names starting with a P. He had my grandmother, Prudence, who had my dad, Parker. My sisters, Peggy and Priscilla didn't follow the tradition with their kids though. But I'm planning to, if I ever have kids".

"Family traditions are very important", Myron commented approvingly. "The tradition in my family is always getting together for lunch on Sundays".

"My daughter is gonna use the wedding dress my wife used and her mother before her", Wendell mentioned casually.

They all nodded in acknowledgement. Their chitchat was then interrupted when Renee appeared. She greeted everybody with a nod. "Hello".

George couldn't help but to feel horrified by the nasty bruises in his boss's face. It was the first time he saw Renee after the kidnapping.

Wendell rushed to be the first one to greet Renee. He wanted to appear concerned. "Oh Renee… Thank God you are here. We were all so worried".

"Ms. Walker, you look good", Payton told her to cheer Renee up, like many other staffers had done.

"Thank you", Renee said politely, even though she was tired of listening to that phrase that wasn't true.

"It's not true you look like shit", George teased her. Renee pretended to take offence and hit his shoulder softly. She and George chuckled and then he got serious. "I'm glad you're here".

She noticed he was getting emotional. So she held his hands between hers for a moment, appreciating his concern. She was growing accustomed to using Allison's way of showing affection.

"Would you like anything to drink?", Zoe offered.

Everybody ordered their drinks and then walked into Renee's office. Then Mackenzie addressed the Chief of staff. "I'm sure it was a terrible ordeal". Renee nodded.

Myron took a look around and admired the office for a moment.

The office had an auburn hardwood floor and cream-colored walls. There was a big but simple beige wooden bookcase full with Renee's books and files. There was also a big beige wooden desk matching the bookcase with matching side table behind of it. The side table had a bunch of pictures on it. Those were pictures of Renee with her parents, with Jack Bauer, with the president in the oval office and her two friends, Liz and Leo. Myron observed with special attention a picture of a man in a military uniform shaking Ronald Reagan's hand, in the photo there was also a red-haired lady holding Renee at the age of three. The Senator assumed those were Renee's parents. Above the photos, on the wall, there were four college degrees displayed. Two of them had the logo of Princeton University. One said '_Bachelor of American studies_' and the other said '_Bachelor of Eurasian and Russian studies'_. There were also two degrees from Columbia University. One said '_Master of Business Administration_' and '_Master of International Affairs_'. There was a framed newspaper article displayed on the wall as well. It was the article announcing her appointment as Chief of staff. In front of the desk, there were two black leather chairs matching Renee's. In another wall, there was a flat-screen TV like the President's, an item Ethan didn't have while being chief of Staff. In the middle of the office, there was a big salmon velvet couch and four matching salmon chairs. The couch and chairs surrounded a large coffee table. Interestingly, Ethan's paintings had been replaced with framed photos of different parts of the White House and Washington DC.

In sum, the office was now more modern and feminine. Myron nodded approvingly. "I like what you did with the office. When Ethan was here it was way too serious"

"Like Ethan himself", Wendell added, as he sat on the big salmon couch. Renee shot him a disapproving glare and took a seat in one of the salmon chairs. Myron took a seat in the other chair while Mac and Wesley sat on the couch, next to Wendell. George took a seat on the third salmon chair.

Renee cleared her throat and then spoke solemnly. "Well… as you know, tonight, during the state of the union, the president will announce that she'll officially give the senate the Moss-Buchanan Advanced patriot Act for its consideration. Senator Bryce Devoss will be the sponsor… You have all seen a draft of the bill, _but_ the original proposal has just been modified".

Wendell gave her a distrustful look. "Modified _how_?".

"The use of Hyoscine-pentothal has been removed from the list of procedures allowed during extreme interrogations", Renee answered to everyone's surprise. "Only non-invasive procedures will be allowed, procedures that don't cause permanent damage in the individual".

The senators absorbed the information. Myron remained skeptical. "Why the sudden change of heart?",

"That doesn't matter, Senator", George said quickly.

Renee raised her hand as if telling her deputy to stop. "It's okay, George". She made a pause, hesitated for a moment, but then decided to tell the senators the truth. "The information I'm about to tell you won't be released to the general public… Can I count on your discretion?".

"Of course", Mac rushed to confirm.

Myron nodded. "Yeah".

"We won't say anything", Wesley added.

There was a moment of silence as everyone looked at Renee expectantly. She finally told them the truth. "The man who kidnapped me gave me injections of Hyoscine-pentothal". She closed her eyes for a second as all the pain she had felt thanks to that drug came suddenly back at her. But she recovered instantly and looked unfazed once again. Nobody could tell she was still affected by the hell she had gone through. The senators were simply appalled by the news. They were too shocked to say anything. "Having experienced the effects of that drug myself… I do not longer think it's okay to use it in others. No human being should ever have to experience that kind of pain…". Once again she was assaulted by horrible memories.

This time, George noticed Renee was disturbed, so he stepped in to continue the conversation. "Besides, we have all read the research, that drug can cause strokes, heart attacks as well as damage to the peripheral nervous system"

"That is exactly what I have been telling you for months, son", Myron reminded him. He gave George a pleased smile, happy that he was getting his way. "Gail and Thad will be thrilled". He was talking about Gail Conway and Thaddeus Rawlins, two black democrats who were in the Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee.

"How many votes do you think we'll get?" Renee asked. They needed at least ten votes for the bill to get out of commission and move to the floor.

Myron gave the topic a thought for a moment before answering. "Well, I can't make a commitment without further studying, But you'll definitely have Gail and Thad".

"Senators Woo and O'Hara too", Mac added "And I think I'll vote in favor too. Let me think about it"

Then all eyes were on young Wesley Elbridge. The republican senator from Illinois finally expressed his position timidly. "I… I'm just afraid the interrogations won't work without the drug. And we need them to work in order to prevent attacks".

"That's not a bad point", the female senator from Florida said.

"We can't let our fear kill our humanity", George argued calmly.

"I'm with George", Wendell said. "Even with this change I'm against the bill. Torture, in any form, shouldn't be allowed under any circumstance. And I'm gonna talk to every member of the senate until I convince them than I'm right".

Renee was not at all intimidated by his words. "That's your prerogative".

George then stood up and gave each senator a folder. "These reports describe the methods that would be allowed if the Moss-Buchanan act were approved. And it contains information about cases in witch such methods have worked in the past". He had prepared those folders incredibly quickly for the meeting.

The senators grabbed the folders and gave them a look.

_Then Eric walked in with the coffees for the senators. _

_Right then, Angie was in her office looking a bit overwhelmed and took two aspirins for a strong headache she was feeling. _

_Simultaneously, Jack and Nora were working together in his office. _

_Meanwhile, Leo was still driving the stolen red Volvo but got stuck in traffic, to his annoyance. _

**06.35.01 - 06.35.02 - 06.35.03 - 06.35.04 PM**

**06.39.15 - 06.39.16 - 06.39.17 - 06.39.18 PM**

_The senators were still meeting with Renee, George and Payton._

_At the same time, Leo kept driving with hatred written all over his features. His angry look was pretty scary. _

_In the interim, Judith was worriedly looking at Igor eat like a disgusting pig, _

_At that moment, Zoe and Eric were diligently working behind their desks. _

The young black man couldn't help but to give the young woman a quick look. She considered her extremely beautiful. She had almond deep-set aquamarine-green eyes and long chestnut-brown wavy hair. Eric had noticed that she wore a lot of make up to cover up the bruises in her lovely face. She had said that those bruises were the result of an ice-skating accident, but he suspected she was lying because she showed up with bruises often. He wished he could help somehow, but he knew that sadly there was nothing he could do. So, he focused on his work again.

As Renee's assistants continued working, Susan Murray showed up in the ante-chamber of Renee's office. "Hey".

Eric greeted her back. "Hey".

"The president needs that position paper on school vouchers", the president's assistant explained.

The black man nodded, searched for the paper in question and gave it to Susan. "Here it is".

"Thank you". Susan took the paper and gave Eric a smile. "So, are you going to the capitol?"

"No. Zoe drew the short straw", Eric replied.

Susan then looked at Zoe. "I drew the short straw too".

"Lucky us", Zoe said with clear sarcasm in her tone.

The half-black woman smiled and then nailed her eyes on Eric. "It would have been nice going to the capitol together and going for a drink afterwards".

Eric missed the flirtation and assumed Susan was just being friendly. "Yes. We can go some other time".

"Absolutely", Susan was slightly disappointed because she wanted to go out with Eric. But she could wait for a better time. "You deserve to go home and rest. You work so hard".

"I don't know about that", he said with genuine modesty. "But I do know that if I don't go home soon my cat won't recognize me anymore"

Susan chuckled and then smiled at Eric showing her perfect teeth. "Well, I have to get back to work now". Then she addressed Zoe. "I'll see you later, Zoe".

Zoe just nodded, gave her a fake smile and said nothing. She didn't like it when Susan flirted with Eric. Zoe told herself that her own feelings for Eric were silly. She had to get over them for she was a married woman. She gave her wedding ring a look as if to remind herself of that fact.

Eric watched Susan leave. The young black woman was very attractive. But, unfortunately, he liked Zoe. He had a crush on the white lady with aquamarine-green eyes and long chestnut-brown wavy hair. But Zoe was married… married. He had to get over his crush. Maybe he should go out with Susan, who was beautiful too.

After Susan left, Renee's two assistants got back to work. Then Zoe's phone rang. She picked it up after one ring. "Renee Walker's office".

An athletic man with big hazel eyes and dark brown wavy hair was on the other side of the phone conversation. He was Todd Forrest, Zoe's husband. He was sitting on a couch as he talked and held a beer with his free hand. "Hi, sweet baby".

"Todd", Zoe greeted him back without much enthusiasm because she was too busy to talk to him. He called her far too often.

"How are things at work?", Todd asked.

Zoe gave him a very short answer. "Okay".

"So, will you be here soon? You promised to make me your lasagna", he reminded her.

The young woman knew right then that she would get in serious trouble. "I promised I'd cook _tomorrow_. Tonight I have to go to the capitol and then Renee will have to deal with the aftermath. I won't be home till midnight".

Predictably, Todd got angry. "Damn it, Zoe! This week I've been ordering Chinese food or pizza every night. I wanted a homemade meal".

Zoe bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry"

"You are my wife! You promised your job wouldn't interfere with your wife duties", Todd protested loudly.

Then the young woman got angry too. "I have to work. This is a very important day. Gee, Todd, cook your own dinner". She then hung up the phone and then looked terrified. She knew she would have to pay for doing that.

Eric gave his colleague a concerned look. "Hey, if you need to go home, I could go to the capitol".

Zoe shook her head. "No… no. It's _my_ job. Todd will have to suck it up".

He gave her a sympathetic smile. "Okay".

**06.41.53 - 06.41.54 - 06.41.55 - 06.41.56 PM**

Renee, George and Payton were finished meeting with the senators.

"What do you guys think?", the chief of staff asked her team as she finished a cup of coffee.

"We are definitely making progress", George said as an answer.

Payton nodded in agreement. "I'm sure the bill will pass".

"Hey, don't tempt fate", George scolded her lightly.

"You should tell Cal and Lynnette to put this progress on the state of the union", Renee told George.

Payton wasn't so sure about that. "We don't want to look over-optimistic. The president should simply announce the change in the bill".

Renee decided that the younger woman had a good point. "Okay".

At that moment, Angie Nelson walked into the office. "Renee… Are you ready for the press conference? The press is getting very impatient".

Renee stood up from the couch and nodded. "Yeah"

Everybody left the office. Renee and Angela headed to the press room. As they walked side by side, Renee talked to the press secretary side by side. "Angie, you can tell the press that we are changing the Moss-Buchanan bill. The use of Hyoscine-pentothal for interrogations will no longer be allowed".

"The press will want to know why", Angie said as they continued walking.

"I know". Renee sighed. "Tell them it's because we are concerned about the permanent damage it can cause".

"They'll ask why we weren't concerned before", Angie said.

The chief of staff knew her press secretary was right. She thought about it just for a couple of seconds before telling her what to say. "We were concerned, so we carefully analyzed all the information again and changed our minds".

Angie nodded. Then the women finally reached the press room and the press secretary took the podium. "Guys, please, be seated. The white house chief of staff would like to make a short statement, but she won't be answering questions".

Renee began walking to the podium. Sean Callahan suddenly started a round of applause and, surprisingly, the noise and the light of many flashes startled her a little. It was strange. She had never been afraid of reporters before. But the kidnapping had been such a traumatic experience for her. For a second, she looked down feeling overwhelmed. But soon she recovered and smiled for the cameras.

It was then that Jack discretely walked into the press room and hid behind the reporters to observe Renee without her seeing him. They were in the middle of one of their typical fights, yet, he wanted to be there for her. He wanted to check on her and see if she was doing okay. He exchanged a look with Angie, who quickly smiled and gave him a reassuring thumb up.

Renee started reading the statement she and Angie had prepared a bit sheepishly but competently nevertheless. "Today, around 2 pm, I was kidnapped by a known Russian gangster called Igor Laitanan. On may 20 I was part of a CTU operation. Igor's brother, Vladimir, was the target. That operation resulted in his dead. Igor holds me responsible for that so he kidnapped me to avenge Vladimir's death. I'm now okay. I would like to thank the FBI for working so hard on my safe return and the staff of Virginia Medical Center. I would also like to thank all the concerned Americans who prayed for me. I'm overwhelmed by the affection I've been receiving since I came back". Then she made a pause and got a little emotional. "I would like to thank Jack Bauer as well. He saved my life".

Jack's eyes sparkled with tears he didn't shed. It moved him in so many ways that Renee had mentioned him even though she was mad at him.

**06.44.21 - 06.44.22 - 06.44.23 - 06.44.24 PM**

**Oronoco St. and Alfred N St - Alexandria, Virginia**

Finally, Leo reached the building where Igor was and got out of the vehicle. He entered the building located in Oronoco St. and Alfred N St, in Alexandria. He took the elevator to the third floor and then searched for apartment 3A. He found it quickly. Then, very slowly, he forced the door open and then closed it behind him. He drew his Beretta 9000 pistol and looked around. Nobody was at sight. But, to his surprise, there was blood everywhere. He also saw a half-eaten sandwich over the coffee table.

He took a moment to search for the evidence Igor had stolen from Jason Pillar. It wasn't there. There was no backpack or anything.

He then went to the kitchen, which was also empty. After that, he headed to the apartment's only bedroom. He felt shocked when he saw four dead bodies: a short man with brown hair, a blonde man, a black-haired man and a very tall man. He recognized the men from an FBI investigation. Those men supposedly were gangsters working for Ivan Jacobi, but the FBI had never been able to prove that fact.

"Damn it".

It was all so confusing. He wondered what the connection between Jacobi's men and Igor Laitanan was. Were they working together? In that case, why had Igor killed the men?.

But Leo didn't have much time to think. He had to find his sworn enemy, who couldn't be so far away.

He left the apartment and it was then that he noticed the traces of blood in the hallway. He followed them and got to apartment 3C. Trying not to make any a noise, he got the door open with his silenced gun readied.

He saw nothing in the living room so he went to the kitchen. In there, he saw his mortal enemy, who was eating next to a terrified old lady. He was pretty shaken up. He hadn't seen Igor since the day the fat man pretended to die.

The Jewish woman froze feeling shocked when she noticed Leo with a gun. The Russian gangster was astonished too. He thought Mastrosov's men had killed Leo. He could not believe his eyes. Very quickly, he jumped on his feet and drew his weapon at Leo. "You should be dead".

"That makes two of us", Leo pointed out with an angry frown on his face.

For a brief moment, they simply stared at each other with hatred in their eyes. They both had their respective guns aimed at each other. Since Igor was distracted looking at Leo, Judith summoned all her courage and quietly grabbed a frying pan behind the Russian's back. Only Leo saw her and acted like nothing was going on. Soon, the old woman bravely hit Igor in the head and gasped shocked by her own actions.

Leo then took the opportunity to launch himself against Igor and pulled him down. The Russian fired a shot with his silenced gun. The bullet nearly hit Leo's left shoulder, but it barely touched its side and continued its way to the kitchen wall. Leo was full of adrenaline so he barely felt it.

Both men struggled on the floor for Igor's gun. Leo was on top of Igor, punching him in the face. Then Igor pushed him away and positioned himself on top of Leo, punching him fiercely as well. Leo tried desperately to push away the 480 pounds beast but, at first, he was unsuccessful. Then he thought of Elizabeth. His beautiful Lizzy, with her short golden curls and big heavy-lidded sapphire eyes. Igor had taken her away from him.

Fury made Leo stronger than ever. He managed to position himself on top of the fat bastard again and, this time, he banged the Russian's head harshly against the kitchen's floor. "You son of a bitch! Fat bastard!"

Judith was horrified by the amount of violence she was witnessing. "Please, stop it!". Of course, Leo ignored her and kept beating the other man. "You are going to kill him!"

"_Like that's not exactly what I want"_, Leo thought to himself. "Shut up!", he yelled at the old woman.

Finally, Igor was unconscious. Leo grabbed him by the arms and, with a lot of effort, dragged him to the living room. But it was a very difficult task because of the man's weigh. In the middle of the way, he stopped, feeling frustrated. He began kicking harshly the man's immense body while yelling. "Damn it, Laitanan! Why don't you stop eating?! You're disgusting!"

Soon he managed to tie him up to a column in Judith's living room. He tied his hands and feet to the column with handcuffs. He also used a towel as a gag to keep Igor from yelling.

Judith then emerged from the kitchen with a terrified expression on her face. "What are you going to do to him? We must call the police".

The old lady was starting to annoy him. She was disturbing him with her whining. He puffed and grabbed her from the arm.

"No! What are you doing?!", she protested.

"Relax! This is for your own good", Leo assured her while locking her up in the bathroom. Even if she agreed to stay quiet, witnessing what he would do would be too traumatic for the woman.

Without her distracting him, he went back to Igor, who was just waking up.

Leo went to pick up the gun Igor had been carrying. It was a HK USP Compact side gun, the very same gun that had killed Elizabeth. The mere sight of it truly affected it. He held it in his hands for a moment and stared at it clearly perturbed while his hazel eyes filled up with tears and his throat closed.

Very quickly, he composed himself, left the gun and pulverized Igor with his look. Abruptly, he punched him several times with all his forces on the face and on the huge stomach. He then backed down and took deep breaths trying to calm down. He still had things to find out.

He took the towel off Igor's mouth and spoke calmly. "How come you're alive? I saw the car exploding". He still remembered the car crash like it was yesterday.

"I wasn't in it. I left it and put one of my men in the driver's seat while your were still unconscious in your own car", Igor explained. "My man was also… large and the explosion left his body unrecognizable"

The American looked still incredulous. "There was a DNA test"

"It was fixed by a friend I had at the lav", Igor admitted arrogantly.

Leo's features darkened. He would murder whoever had helped Igor. "Who?"

"His name doesn't matter. He's dead anyway. He got killed in a fire with family. Tragic". Igor didn't even pretend to be upset about it, though.

The Russian didn't admit causing that fire himself to shut the lav technician up, but such confession was not necessary. Leo knew his enemy well enough to guess the truth.

"I'm sure you're devastated", Leo said sarcastically. Igor just stared back at him without expression. Leo puffed and shook his head. "You're such a moron. I didn't even know you were alive. Nobody knew. You could have staid hidden living a long life in peace. I would have never been a threat to you. Why did you have to come here and fuck everything up?". Overpowered by yet another wave of fury, he punched Igor again. "Why couldn't you leave me alone?! Why?!"

"Why do you think, _Aleck_?". Igor spited out Leo's alias mockingly. "I let you join my gang and took you under my wing. I loved you like a brother. But you were a fucking FBI rat! You betrayed me! You were playing me all along". The deep betrayal was all over his ugly features, Discovering Aleck's true identity had felt like a knife in his gut. "How could you? I made you, ungrateful bastard!".

Leo was deeply outraged. He wouldn't let Igor take credit for the legend that had once been Alecksandr Petrovscky. No way. "I made myself"

"Bullshit!", Igor yelled sharply in an instant. "I taught you everything you know, disgusting rat. And you thanked me by destroying my organization. You destroyed me and helped Walker destroy my brother… So I hunted you down and killed your bitch".

Then Leo lost it completely. He was pure fury. Once again, he beat the crap out of the man. He got close to beating him to death, but somehow managed to stop himself. He stepped away from the Russian and took deep breaths. He _had_ to calm down. He stumbled into a couch, feeling all out of energy.

He finally composed himself and approached Igor once again. He first put the towel back in the gangster's mouth. Then he grabbed a taser gun and gave him electric shocks as he spoke. "I already know why you killed my Liz. What I need to know is why you killed Jason Pillar as well. Who told you to do that?". He then removed the towel so Igor could talk.

"Go to hell", the gangster told him. He was feeling a lot of pain, but he wouldn't give in.

Unfazed, Leo patted his enemy's cheek condescendingly. "I'll send you first. But don't be scared. After this, hell is gonna feel like a vacation to you". He put the barrel of his gun inside the Russian's mouth. Then he brutally hit the man's jaw, breaking two of his teeth. "Who ordered you to kill Pillar?"

All Igor did was to spit a mixture of blood, little pieces of teeth and saliva at Leo's face.

Disgusted, Leo cleaned himself up with the towel and then put the towel back in Igor's mouth. "Fine. You asked for it" With that, he grabbed his Swiss army knife and took off Igor's shoes as the Russian tried in vain to kick him in the face. Finally, Leo cut one of Igor's toes and then cauterized the wound so the Russian wouldn't die too soon.

"You still have nine toes and ten fingers left, Igor. And you know me well. I can go on for days. So I'd start talking if I were you", Leo told him. "Who ordered Pillar's death and what did you do with the evidence he had?" Then he removed the towel, which was soaked in blood, from the mouth of his enemy to let him talk.

Leo's eyes and tone would have terrified the hell out of anybody. But Igor was not anybody. The Russian felt an enormous amount of pain, but remained stoic. He was determined to take the punishment like a brave Russian soldier. "Nobody ordered me anything. I killed him because I wanted to".

Of course Leo didn't believe him. He simply gave the Russian an electric shock and moved on to another question. "What did you do with the evidence?"

Igor feigned a deep confusion. "What evidence?"

The men stared at each other with hatred.

_Then Leo coldly proceeded to cut another finger and cauterized the wound. _

_At that moment, Renee was in her private bathroom looking at the bruises on her face in the mirror. She had a haunted expression._

_Right then, Jack was in his office, sitting behind his desk, looking worriedly at a photo of Renee he kept there. _

_Simultaneously, Allison was rehearsing the important speech she would soon have to give. _

**06.54.12 - 06.54.13 - 06.54.14 - 06.54.15 PM**

**06.55.37 - 06.55.38 - 06.55.39 - 06.55.40 PM**

_Senators Wendell Draper, Myron Wilcox, Mackenzie Goddard and Wesley Elbridge arrived to the Capitol Building, where hundredths of other politicians were already gathered. _

_Meanwhile, Nora entered Jack's office to give him an update on Russia and Kamistan. _

_At the same time, Renee entered the oval office to help Allison with the state of the union. _

_In the interim, Leo kept torturing Igor. _

Leo finished cutting another one of Igor's toes. He had already cut three. "Tell me where the information is". Igor said nothing so Leo gave him an electric shock. "Give me the information!". Igor simply cried in pain with tears falling from his steel-blue eyes and sweat all over his face. "You stupid bastard! I'm gonna cut the rest of your fingers and make you eat them! You better start talking".

But before doing as he had threatened, Leo noticed two things that had fallen from the Russian's pockets: a gorgeous engagement ring and a silver necklace. He examined the ring. It was beautiful. It had a white rounded diamond in the middle and two princess-cut sapphires, one at each side of the diamonds.

Leo didn't understand why Igor was in possession of such ring. "Are you going to propose to someone?"; he asked mockingly. "Nobody will marry you. You're disgusting". He then looked at the necklace. It had a silver heart which said '_Renee Abigail Walker_'. He understood what had happened. "You stole this things from Renee!". The implication hit him. "She and Jack are engaged".

He felt troubled for a moment. Tears came to his hazel eyes. Jack and Renee would get married and would be happy, while Leo's life was ruined forever and Elizabeth was dead. The four of them could have been so happy. They could have shared dinners, poker nights and the weddings. Liz and Renee could have gone shopping for wedding dresses together and they could have been each other's maids of honor. Cooper maybe would have carried the rings for both weddings. Leo then pictured in his head Elizabeth and Renee trying on wedding dresses together. Liz would have probably chosen something simple and not white because it would have been her second wedding. She would have made such a beautiful bride.

A wave of fury overtook him. He began beating the crap out of Igor again unleashing all his anger. He stopped and thought of a way to make the Russian suffer. He took the Swiss army knife and this time he cut Igor's left ear.

It was then that he noticed something on Igor's shoulder. The Russian had something hidden under the skin. Leo used the knife to cut the skin and saw that it was a memory card. "Now I have what I need".

He already knew how he would kill Igor. He had made the decision hours ago.

To Igor's horror, Leo opened the backpack and took the box of matches and the bottle of kerosene he had taken from Renee's house.

He then spilled the kerosene all over Igor, lighted a mach and threw it at Igor.

The Russian instantly caught fire and Leo watched with a tiny creepy smile how his mortal enemy burnt alive.

**06.59.56 - 06.59.57 - 06.59.58 - 06.59.59 PM**

**07 PM**

**To be continued…. **

**(PLEASE…. PLEASE…. Review!) **


	12. I would have killed him too

**Author's note:** Hi, everyone! It's been a long time. I apologize. I had a lot of things to do for the university.

I'm very grateful for those who are still following this story. You guys are the reason I'm still doing this in spite of the low number of reviews.

This is chapter 12… We are halfway through the season!

I welcome the new readers. Please, make sure you read the other parts of this series so you can understand better what's going on.

To everyone: Please, leave a review telling me what you think.

Love,

Lara

**Reminder: **The lines represent a commercial break and the four lines in cursive before and after those lines are actions taking place simultaneously in a "split screen".

**Disclaimer:** The show's not mine. Neither are the characters. I just own the necklace Elisha Cubert used on season 7, the earrings Cherry Jones used on season 8, Marie Warner's purse and the complete set of DVDs.

**CHAPTER 12:**

"**I would have killed him too****"**

**Previously: **Renee arrives to the White House after her ordeal and gives a statement to the press. She's still not talking to Jack.

The group is going to have Jack killed before the state of the union so he doesn't run into Mandy.

Reporter Valery Layton found out that Renee was raped by Vladimir and then slept willingly with him for eight months. In exchange for her silence she wants details of the FBI-CTU rescue operation, an excusive with her about the kidnapping, what she went through and whatever she wants to say about Vladimir. Jack found our about this and confronted the reporter.

Zoe's husband, Todd, is not happy with her working so much.

Allison is planning to announce in the State of the Union that she'll give the Moss-Buchanan act to congress for consideration. The bill has some changes, it will no longer allow the use of Hyrocine-pentoral.

Leo murdered Liev Mastrosov and found out where Igor Laitanan was hiding. He found Igor hiding in an old woman's apartment. He tortured him brutally to no avail. He eventually found a mysterious memory card in the gangster's skin. He took it and then killed Igor by burning him alive.

There are moles in the FBI, the White House and the secret service.

_The following takes place between 07.00 PM and 08.00 PM, on the day of the State of the Union Address_.

**January 29th 2019 – Wednesday**

**07.02.14 PM **

**Washington DC. – The White House**

Reporter Connie Fairbanks was waiting in the antechamber of Renee's office. She had been summoned there for reasons she didn't know yet. She wondered what the chief of staff could want. Renee Walker wasn't one to talk to the press often.

Renee's assistant Zoe then emerged from Renee's office and politely addressed the reporter. "She's ready for you, Ms. Fairbanks".

"Thank you". The short and a bit chubby reporter gave the younger woman a warm smile. Then she walked into Renee's office.

Renee saw the reporter and stood up promptly to greet her. "Connie".

Connie bowed her head slightly. "Ms. Walker. I'm glad to see you doing well. It must have been such a horrible ordeal".

Renee had heard those same words a thousand times in the past hour. "It was"

The chief of staff then bit her lower lips and scratched the side of her arm nervously. Since Valery had discovered her big secret, Renee had to talk to the press to control the story. She had to make sure to leak her herself in her own terms. It was the only way to prevent a huge scandal. She had chosen to leak the story to Constance Fairbanks, even though Sean Callahan and Ted Carlson were her favorite reporters, because Connie was a woman, and therefore could be more sympathetic to the hell Renee had gone through. But Renee hated deeply talking about what had happened to her. She didn't even like talking to Jack about it.

There was an awkward silence as Connie looked at the other woman with expectation in her pale-green eyes.

Finally, Renee gestured for her to seat in one of the couches. "Connie… I need to talk to you about something. I'm gonna give you a exclusive"

The reporter raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "And what do I have to do?"

"Nothing. But it's important that you understand… I will only talk about this once". Renee's face revealed how serious she was.

Connie gave her a nod like saying '_Fair enough_' and got her recorder ready.

"As you already know, Igor Laitanan kidnapped me because he blames for the death of his brother, Vladimir". The reporter nodded again. "What you don't know is that Vladimir was a very violent man. He… He beat me constantly when I was working undercover with him and…". She closed her eyes unable to continue. She tried hard to restrain the tears as she recalled Vladimir kissing her and touching every inch of her body against her will. "He raped me". She simply omitted the part where she had slept with him willingly after being raped. "As a result I got pregnant. But I lost the baby because he beat me so brutally".

Connie scratched her forehead while absorbing all the information. Then she looked at Renee straight in the eye. "Is that why you killed him?"

"No", Renee had to lie to protect the president.

The reporter didn't quite believe her. "I would have killed him too", she admitted sincerely, trying to get Renee to open up. Her rounded and friendly face reflected nothing but sympathy and understanding. "Nobody will blame you for…"

Renee interrupted her sharply. "I _had_ to kill him. He attacked me. That night he hit me and chocked me". She didn't say that the chocking had occurred an hour before she killed him. "I know I should have used non-lethal force to stop him, but I couldn't think straight. I was so scared. I thought he was going to rape me again".

Connie felt truly sorry for the woman in front of her. She wanted to give her a hug but couldn't because Renee was the chief of staff. Even if Renee was lying about the self-defense, the reporter wanted to go with that story to avoid hurting her. "It's okay. I… I _have_ to write about this, but don't worry, the people will understand. You were simply protecting yourself from that horrible man, who was a gangster and a rapist".

The chief of staff simply nodded, hoping Connie was right.

"How far along were you?", Connie asked.

Once again, she felt unshed tears burning her eyes. "Thirteen weeks"

"So, you were still working with him thirteen weeks after he raped you?"

"Yeah. I… I had to stay under. I was trying to find evidence of Vladimir's _many_ crimes. Not to mention that I was trying to find a group of gangsters that trafficked with weapons and women".

"But why didn't the FBI protect you?"

It was a question Renee had expected. Yet, she didn't quite know how to answer it. "Well, they kind of did… when Vladimir nearly beat me to death, the night I lost the baby, they rescued me and that's why I'm alive".

"But they let you stay with him, even though he raped you"

"They didn't know that". Renee looked down. "I was too embarrassed". She then looked at the reporter again, "You have to understand, Connie. I didn't want to talk about it with anyone. I… I wanted to pretend it never happened. It took me over six years to talk about it".

Connie then dared to hold one of Renee's hands in support. The reporter's almond pale-green eyes were full of the compassion Renee had been counting on.

**07.05.31 – 07.05.32 – 07.05.33 – 07.05.34 PM **

**Jack's office**

Jack and his deputy were talking about the situation in Lithuania, where Russia were about to go to war because Dalia Hassan had just lost an oil deal with Lithuania because of Russian President Nickolai Karkov. The Russian president had pushed his Lithuanian counterpart to make him blow off a deal made with Kamistan.

"According to NSA and CIA, Russian troops have been ordered to stand by. They are 156 miles away from the border", Nora explained while showing Jack transcripts of conversations between the troops and the Kremlin recently intercepted.

"And kamistan?"

"They seem to be setting camp 158 miles away from the border". As she answered, Nora showed him satellite photos and Jack thoughtfully examined them.

Jack's assistant, Ruth Carmichael, walked into the office at the moment with two cups of coffee. She gave one to Jack and another one to Nora. "Sir, the Attorney General called. He insists that you talk to him right away".

Jack was not at all surprised. He knew Allen Monroe would be asking for his head. "Okay. Make the call, please".

Ruth left the office to do as she had been told.

"Are you in trouble, Jack?", Nora asked with concern in her emerald eyes. She knew Jack had assisted Leo Craig, who was wanted by the FBI at the moment.

"Don't worry about it"

"Okay". Nora then took two little bags of sugar from her pocket and put the sugar in a cup of black coffee, which she then handed to Jack.

Jack gave her a small smile. "Thank you"

Nora smiled back charmingly. Then she put some sweetener Ruth had brought in her own cup of black coffee.

They silently drank the coffee for a moment.

Then Ruth's voice could be heard through the intercom. "_Sir, the attorney general is on line one_".

Jack quickly took the call. "Mr. Monroe, what can I do for you?"

Allen Monroe was sitting in his own office with a face that reflected nothing but fury, but Jack couldn't see him. "You can stop aiding federal fugitives, for starters"

Jack played dumb and pretended to take offence. "Excuse me?"

"You received a call from Leon Craig and instead of alerting the authorities you went to meet him and helped him scape"

"I did not help him scape. I went to meet him to convince him to turn himself in. If I had alerted the authorities it would have spooked him. I wanted to reason with him but _he tied me to a pole_"

"Are you under the impression that I was born yesterday, Mr. Bauer?"

Jack frowned but kept a polite tone. "No, sir"

Allen was examining Jack's, Renee's and Leo's files while talking. "I know Mr. Craig and your woman are close friends. That's why you helped him"

"I'm telling you I didn't help him. I tried to reason with him".

"That doesn't really matter. The fact that you went to meet him alone, without alerting the FBI, is enough for me to open an investigation. Aiding a fugitive is punished with fifteen years of jail, and you have to add obstruction of justice and accessory to the three murders Craig committed in that construction site…"

Jack's features darkened significantly. "You son of a bitch". Nora's eyes widened in surprise because of the language Jack had used with the attorney general. "You know very well I'm innocent. You just don't like me".

Allen finally lost his temper and raised his voice to give a very heated speech. "You are right about that, Mr. Bauer. I don't like you. You have spent your entire career breaking the law and getting away with it". The attorney general was outraged. "People just let you get away with everything. But those days are over. Like I told Walker…. If you break the law there will be consequences".

"I know. But I have not broken any law".

"_In the past hour",_ Nora thought to herself as she tried to suppress a smile.

"Then you have nothing to worry about", the attorney general assured Jack. "Come to the justice department tomorrow, first thing in the morning, so I can take your official statement"

Having said all he wanted to say, the attorney general rudely hung up the phone without waiting for an answer.

**07.08.52 – 07.08.53 – 07.08.54 – 07.08.55 PM - Washington DC. Time**

**02.08.52 – 02.08.53 – 02.08.54 – 02.08.55 AM - (January 30th 2019 – Thursday)- Rome, Italy time**

**Somewhere in Rome… **

A man in a wheel chair, who called himself Joseph Bennett, was finishing his cup of cappuccino in the luxurious apartment he had in Rome, Italy. He was exhausted but he couldn't sleep. He was too nervous. Besides, he had to monitor the operation going down in the United States. It was one of the most important days in his life, the day in which he would destroy the US. government and the woman who had hurt him badly. It was the day of his _vendetta_.

As he drank his cappuccino, he was looking in his computer at Renee Walker wrapping up a meeting with some reporter. The live footage came from a camera secret service had installed for security reasons after Olivia Taylor's very short tenure as Chief of Staff. He was getting such images thanks to the mole in the secret service.

His features darkened significantly. He hated the fact that Walker was getting sympathy from that reporter. That woman deserved no sympathy. She should be punished from her crimes. And she would be… thanks to his plan.

His thoughts were interrupted when a beautiful Italian woman emerged from one of the bedrooms. He quickly replaced the images of Renee's office with a document made in Excel that showed the finances of his recently built private military company. His first military company, which his late father had founded, had been destroyed. So he had to start a new one from the scratch.

The woman approached him, put her hands on his shoulders and kissed his nearly bald head lovingly. "Are you coming to bed, amore?"

"I can't, bella. I have a lot of work to do"

She took a quick glance at the computer screen and saw nothing interesting. "Okay. I'll go to sleep now, but don't stay up too late".

"I won't". The man was getting annoyed. He definitely needed his lover to go away. "You have that photo shoot first thing in the morning, right?"

"Yeah"

"Then go to sleep. I'll be there soon", he lied. He wasn't planning to go to bed at all.

"Okay". She gave him a sweet kiss on the lips. "Goodnight, Joe".

"Goodnight, Monica"

After his lover when to bed, the man's cellphone rang. He looked at the caller id screen and it simply said "_Brooke_". He was very glad to get a call from that woman, who was his much appreciated right hand, and took the call eagerly. "Brooke, how is it going?"

"It's all going as it should, Joe"

Joseph frowned angrily as he looked at Renee in the computer again. Her assistant was giving her a coffee. "If that were true Walker would be dead by now"

"I know we had some set-backs…"

"It's amateur day!", Joe protested too loudly.

Brooke remained cold, calm and patient, as always. "Now things are back on track, Joe. Bauer will die and Walker will go home feeling devastated, she will be killed there".

"How?"

"Brendan will have his men plant a bomb in her house". Originally, the plan was to ambush Renee in her own home and put a bullet in her head. Yet, Brendan had a thing for explosions and changed his mind.

Joseph liked the idea, but he had serious doubts about the plan. "What if Walker decides not to go home right after Bauer's death because of what will happen at the capitol?"

"It doesn't matter. She'll have to go home _eventually._ The bomb will be set to go off as soon as she enters the living room"

"What if someone walks into that living room before her?"

"Some men will guard the manor to make sure that doesn't happen"

"I see". He made a pause. "And did you put the thing in Bauer's drink already?"

"That's taken care off. It just needs some time to take effect"

Joe nodded approvingly. "Good"

**02.11.13 – 02.11.14 – 02.11.15 – 02.11.16 AM - (January 30th 2019 – Thursday)- Rome, Italy time **

**07.11.13 – 07.11.14 – 07.11.15 – 07.11.16 PM – (January 29****th**** 2019 – Wednesday)- Washington DC. Time**

**Alexandria, Virginia – Oronoco St. and Alfred N St **

Chaos reigned over Judith Solomon's street. The old lady and all her neighbors were across the street from their building watching, in shock, their building. One of the apartments had just caught fire. They were all talking to each other, stunned and confused. There were police officers, paramedics, FBI agents and firefighters everywhere. The FBI had arrived in an instant, since Judith had said the fire was caused by a federal fugitive who had tortured another federal fugitive. Those two men were the FBI's most wanted at the moment.

Judith was in an ambulance as the paramedics checked on her and an Agent Jeffrey Teller interrogated her politely but with a lot of urgency. "Ma'am, you said those two men were here". He showed her a photo of Leon Craig and another one of Igor Laitanan. "Is this the man who set your apartment on fire?"

She pointed at a picture of Leo. "Yeah!". She sniffed sadly, with tears in her eyes. "Everything is gone".

The agent just ignored that last comment. "You know where he's now?"

"No. He helped me get out of the apartment and then run away"

"Did you see what he did to the other man?"

"No. He locked me in the bathroom"

"Did he make any phone call? Did he say anything about his plans?"

"No. I'm sorry"

Right then, agent Greg Powell appeared from inside the building and addressed Jeffrey. "Sir, they found four bodies in the apartment across Ms. Solomon's, apartment 3A".

Judith covered her mouth, horrified. "Oh, God"

"Four unidentified males. All died apparently of multiple gunshots. The bodies were moved post-mortem"

Jeffrey frowned and nodded acknowledged the information. "Did Craig do it?"

"We don't know. We are looking for finger prints"

"And I guess the murder weapon was not found"

"It wasn´t", Powell confirmed.

Jeffrey then addressed the old woman. "Who lives in apartment 3A?"

"A young man, with curly black hair and brown eyes. His name is Ross. Very tall… big. But I don't know his last name"

"None of the victims fit that description", Greg promptly told Jeffrey.

"We need to find out who those guys are", Jeffrey stated solemnly.

Then another agent came from inside the building and addressed Jeffrey. "Sir, we did a preliminary exam of Laitanan's body. It seems to be that he was burnt alive. And three of his toes and his left ear were cut… also while he was alive".

Jeffrey was disgusted. "Craig is an animal!". He paused for a brief moment to think what to do. "Alert all the agents. The new order is to shoot on sight"

Greg widened his eyes in surprise. "Shoot on sight?"

"Shoot on sight", Jeffrey confirmed coldly. "And keep Renee Walker's manor under surveillance. Craig might hide there. Jack Bauer has been helping him, and Renee is probably helping Craig too".

_Jeffrey then headed to the building with a scowl on his face. _

_At the same time, Connie Fairbanks was working on her article. _

_Right then, Nora entered the situation room to do her job._

_At that moment, Mrs. Carmichael was working by her desk. _

**07.13.34 – 07.13.35 – 07.13.36 – 07.13.37 PM**

* * *

><p><strong>07.17.01 – 07.17.02 – 07.17.03 – 07.17.04 PM<strong>

_Jack continued to work in his office_

_Meanwhile, Joseph kept spying on Renee_

_In the interim, Jeffrey was examining Igor's body and feeling absolutely horrified. _

_At the same time, Renee was in her office reviewing the final draft of the state of the union address. _

As Renee worked sitting behind her desk, her first assistant Erik entered the office and made an announcement. "Ma'am, Ms. Layton is here to see you".

Renee nodded. She had been expecting that insolent reporter from the ultra-conservative magazine '_human events_'. "Send her in"

Erik left the office with a nod. A few seconds later, Valery Layton walked into the office with a smile on her face, the smile of a cat that had swallowed a canary. "Ms, Walker, you wanted to see me".

"Yeah". Renee stood up with a solemn expression and made a pause before giving the reporter the news. "I had a talk with Connie. I have explained her what happened between me and Vladimir Laitanan".

Valery was outraged. "What?! That was _my_ story. The source came to _me_."

"But the story was about _me_. _I_ decide who I talk to about it". There was a moment of tense silence as the two women shoot darts at each other with their eyes. Finally, Renee added something that would upset Valery even more. "I'm also removing your press credentials. You're banned from the White House".

The reporter could not believe her ears. "What?"

"Because of you I had to talk about what I went through, and I hate doing that"

"You can't do this"

"I just did"

"I was doing my job!"; Valery protested loudly.

"Now you'll have to do your job from somewhere else. You won't be able to set foot in the White House until there's a new Chief of staff"

Valery frowned, shook her exhaled "It's true. You're a bitch"

Renee folded her arms across her chest. Her face and body remained extremely tense. "Ms. Layton, it should take you seven minutes to get your things and leave the building…. I'll give you five".

**07.18.25 – 07.18.26 – 07.18.27 – 07.18.28 PM**

**Bethesda, Maryland. The Walker-Bauer Manor. **

As he had done earlier, Leo Craig broke into Renee's manor to hide. He had the memory card he had recovered from Igor's body, now he just needed to see it. He left the big backpack he was carrying in the living room, took off his jacket and took a seat. Then he grabbed one of the cellphones he carried. He introduced the bloody memory card in it and opened the files. Surprisingly, it worked.

He widened his hazel eyes in shock for what he saw.

There were pictures of Mikail Novalovich giving a couple of envelopes to Pavel Tokarev and others of Pavel giving those same envelopes to Samir Mehran and Sergei Bazhaev. Then Leo opened a video file which had been recorded on March 12 of 2018.

_In the video, you could see Former Russian Foreign Minister Mikail Novakovich drinking vodka in what seemed to be a private study. You could see pictures of him and his family on a wall and there were a couple of college degrees hanging on the wall as well. _

Leo paused the video and zoomed in to the degrees , noticing they were Novakovich's. The office obviously belonged to the Foreign Minister. Leo then continued to watch the video.

_Yuri Suvarov walked into the office with a very serious expression. "What happened?", he asked dryly in Russian without exchanging any pleasantries. _

"_Pavel says Mehran and Bazhaev took the money. Everything is going well", Novakovich answered, also speaking in Russian. "We'll make CTU believe Hassan's mistress wants to kill him, so they'll be too distracted with her to stop us"_

"_And we have someone inside CTU, right?"_

"_Yes, indeed. Don't worry. Things will turn out allright. Hassan will die, his enemies will possess nuclear weapons and that will kill the peace treaty and give you and the Americans a reason to isolate and bomb Kamistan back to the Stone Age" . Novakovich then gave the other man a glass of Vodka and drank a little from his own._

"_And nobody will say I didn't try to archive peace". Suvarov then drank some vodka, feeling content. _

_As Suvarov finished his glass of vodka, Novakovich refilled his own. "That's true, sir". _

"_Did you find out Brooke's real name?"_

"_Yeah… it's…"_

Then Leo had to pause the video because he heard someone trying to break into Renee's house. He immediately hid behind the couch and aimed his gun at the front door of the manor.

Chad Atworth, Ross Kinkaid and Drake Covington, who worked for Brendan Marson, entered the living room.

Having the element of surprise on his side, Leo shot Chad directly on the head with remarkable aiming. The mercenary died instantly. The other two mercenaries quickly began to return the fire, hitting Leo on the right shoulder.

Soon, Drake aimed his own gun at Leo's head and cocked it. "This is over, Craig"

Suddenly, four FBI agents came into the living room with their own guns readied. "FBI! Stop!", one of the agents yelled.

There was chaos in the living room as Drake, Ross and Leo run on different directions.

Asian FBI agent Mark Dorman and Luis Kilner went after Leo. Mark shot at Leo instantly, following orders from his superior. Yet, he didn't shoot to kill. He hit Leo on the left leg. Leo fell down but quickly shot both agents on the legs, trying not to cause too much damage. He then managed to stand up and leave the house, limping and groaning in pain.

Meanwhile, Agent Peter Remik chased Drake. But quickly Drake managed to shoot him in the chest.

At the same time, Agent Dale Reynolds chased Ross. Ross tripped and Dale soon immobilised him. The agent then talked to his cuff mic. "This is agent Reynolds. There's been a shooting in Renee Walker's house. We need an ambulance".

The FBI agent handcuffed the guy and brusquely grabbed him from the arm and took him back to the house. Once inside, he forced him to seat in a couch.

Dale stopped the video right away, feeling alarmed. He couldn't believe the evidence he had in his hands.

**07.22.10 – 07.22.10 – 07.22.10 – 07.22.10 PM**

**Washington DC. – The White House**

Zoe O'Malley Forrest was working by her desk, in the antechamber of Renee's office. As the phone rang, she took the call. "Renee Walker's office, how may I help you?"

"Mrs. Forrest? This is Agent Hank Grunwald. Your husband is at the main entrance of the white house"

"What?"

"He's here, but I can't let him in. I told him that visitors have to give a week notice"

"Yeah, I know".

"He refuses to leave. He demands to see you", Hank added and made an awkward pause. "I'm pretty sure that he has been drinking"

"Oh, God". She bit her lower lip and shook her head. "I'll go talk to him"

Her colleague Erik gave her then a look of concern. "What's wrong?"

"My husband is here and he's drunk". She sighed and headed fast to the main entrance, where her husband Todd was drunkenly arguing with Hank.

"I'm not a fucking criminal! My wife works here!"

Hank kept a professional tone. "Sir, _all_ visitors must give a week notice before coming to the white house"

Zoe then interfered. "Todd, you have to go home. You can't come to the white house"

"But I'm your husband!"

"That doesn't matter. This is _the White House_, not some wedding reception. I'm not registered as Zoe plus one"

Todd frowned. "Then you have to come home with me"

"I can't"

"I'm tired of this shit! I didn't get married to spend all the fucking day alone!"

Zoe felt tears coming to her aquamarine-green eyes. "Tomorrow will be better. I promise"

"You always make promises you don't keep". Todd then approached his wife threating her. "If you don't come home soon you are going to regret it"

Hank instantly positioned himself between Zoe and Todd in a protective manner. His face had a very intimidating expression. "Sir, you have to leave _now_, or I _will_ arrest you"

Todd then decided to give up, but not before giving Hank an angry stare. "I could crush you using only one hand".

Yet, he wasn't drunk enough to fight a secret service agent in the white House, so he just left.

Zoe had tears rolling from her eyes. She wiped then with a hand and put on a stoic face as he addressed Hank, "Please, don't tell my dad"

"I won't", the agent promised.

Zoe rewarded him with a tiny smile. "Thank you"

Hank smiled back and then Zoe returned to the outer space of Renee's office. Erik was there and felt very concerned. "Are you okay, Zo?"

"Yeah", Zoe said very unconvincingly. "My… my husband drank too much and was very upset because I have to work late".

Erik paused as he took the information in. "I see. Listen, If you need to go home I can go to the capitol. It's no problem".

Zoe shook her head. "No. It's not fair to you"

"I want to do it", Erik assured her firmly. "All I have waiting for me at home is a two-day-old pizza. You have a husband"

She bit her lower lip. "I don't know"

"Seriously, Zoe, I'll be happy to do it"

"Well, if you insist"

"I insist"

Zoe gave him a sweet smile. "Thank you".

She gathered her things to go and gave Erik a kiss on the cheek before leaving quickly. Erik sighed sadly.

**07.25.07 – 07.25.08 – 07.25.09 – 07.25.10 PM**

**Suitland- Silver Hill, Maryland. – Howe Av. and Lewis Av. – Brendan Marson's apartment**

Brendan was at the moment siting on his couch with his much younger girlfriend, Teddy Blackstone, watching the CNN to keep himself well informed. As soon as he heard he cell, he took the call after checking the caller ID screen. "Drake, hi. Is it done?"

Drake Covington was now running away from Renee's manor as fast as he possibly could. He stopped for a moment and looked around to make sure nobody was following him. "No. We had a problem"

Brendan straightened his back and frowned. "What happened?"

"Leo Craig was there, hiding from the feds".

"Did you take him out?"

"We couldn't. The feds showed up. I managed to escape, but they arrested Ross"

Brendan instantly noticed then that Drake hadn't mentioned Chad Atworth. He narrowed his electric blue and big eyes with suspicious. "What about Chad?"

"Craig killed him"

Brendan widened his eyes, opened his mouth with a hand on the forehead and rested his back against the back of the couch. He then informed his girlfriend. "Chad is dead"

Teddy covered her mouth in horror. "Oh, no"

"What are we going to do about Ross? We can't let the feds interrogate them. He'll break like an egg"

Brendan silently pondered about the situation for a moment. "He's weak. And he's never been the brightest crayon in the box"

Drake didn't argue that. "So, what do we do?"

"Tell our FBI guy to take care of him", Brendan ordered showing no emotion. "And, Drake… we must avenge Chad's death. He was one of us". Then he theatrically added a line from the movie 'Star Trek: First Contact'. _"The line must be drawn here! This far and no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!"_

Drake couldn't help to roll his eyes, feeling a bit bored with Brendan's obsession with movies. But he went along with it anyway. "They will pay. That's for sure".

"Yeah", Brendan sighed. "Gather the rest of the team. I'll see you in the capitol".

He disconnected the call and Teddy put a hand on his shoulder, trying to give him some comfort. "I'm sorry about Chad".

Brendan frowned with fury in his blue eyes. "This is all Joe Bennett's fault! He was stupid and sent that idiot of Laitanan to kill Walker. Both Bennett and Laitanan were blinded by their hatred so the operation to kill Walker failed. If it hadn't failed Chad wouldn't have gone to Walker's house"

"Forget about Bennett, Bren. You can't touch him"

Brendan sighed with resignation, knowing his girlfriend was right. "I know"

_Teddy simply held his hand in support. _

_At the same time, Drake went to get his car, which was hidden near Renee's house. _

_At that moment, Zoe was in the white house's parking lot heading to her car. _

_Meanwhile, agents Reynolds__ and Kilner were taking Ross to the FBI headquarters_.

**07.27.06 – 07.27.07 – 07.27.08 – 07.27.09 PM**

* * *

><p><strong>07.31.11 – 07.31.12 – 07.31.13 – 07.31.14 PM<strong>

_In Renee's house, more FBI agents had arrived to analyze the crime scene. _

_In the interim, Leo was hiding in the woods, he was in immense pain and losing a lot of blood. _

_Right then, Ross was still in the back of the FBI vehicle looking through the window with a worried expression on his face. _

_At the same time, Renee was in her office with a concerned look on her face._

Renee was sitting behind her desk, still feeling in shock. They had just told her about the incident in her house. She just couldn't believe it. Secret Service Agent Arizona Rush had given Renee the information.

"Ms. Walker, do you know either of the suspects?", Arizona asked as Renee looked at a photo of Chad Artwood and Ross Kinkaid.

"No. I have no idea who these guys are"

"Could it be that they were there looking for Mr. Bauer or Mr. Craig?"

Renee thought about it for a moment. Those men didn't appear in Jack's file. They weren't known enemies of Leo either. But maybe either Leo or Jack had hid their connection to those guys from CTU and the FBI for some reason. "I guess it's possible".

Arizona nodded, taking the words in. "Ma'am, in light of these events, you'll continue to have the protection of Agent Adamson and myself", Arizona announced. She and her partner Garrick Adamson had been put in charge of protecting Renee because of Igor Laitanan. They had been about to be released from that duty because Laitanan was now dead. But, considering what had happened in Renee's house, they had to continue protecting her.

Renee was not at all happy about it but had to accept it. "I understand"

"We are gonna send a small team to the house to make a security sweep". Renee opened her mouth as to objects, but Arizona interrupted her. "That's not an option". She made a pause and then continued. "Agent O'Malley sent a couple of agents to the FBI to question the suspect in custody"

"Okay. Tell them to play nice. The FBI and the Secret Service will have to share jurisdiction over this"

"The FBI won't be happy about it. Neither will our guys"

"They are all gonna have to act like grownups and live with it"

Arizona gave her a small smile. "Okay, ma'am"

"Ma'am?", Erik called for her and talked again once he had Renee's attention. "Travis Herncastle, from World Net Daily, called. He wants to know if it's true that the FBI caught a guy trying to put a bomb in your house and that Leon Craig was hiding in there"

"Tell him I'm not making any comments"

Erik was absolutely shocked that she wasn't denying it. "So, it is true"

"Don't worry about it"

He couldn't not worry about it. He was very fond of Renee. "But…"

"Don't worry about it, Erik", Renee insisted firmly. She didn't like it when other people worried about her. "We should only worry about one person's reaction …."

Right on cue, Jack busted into the office. He looked like a ball of fury. Someone had tried to kill Renee for the second time in seven hours. He felt terrified. "Who the hell are those bastards with the bomb? I'll kill them! I swear to God I'll kill them". Renee and Jack were I the middle of a fight, but he would still protect her with his own life.

"Calm down, Jack", Renee said casually, not seeming upset at all. "You're not killing anybody".

Jack regained his composure. "Who are they? Why were they trying to kill you?"

Erik then discretely left the office to let them talk in private.

"I don't know. I've never met them". She then showed him a picture on her computer. Even though he was furious at Jack, he still had the right to know all the information, so she gave it to him calmly. Jack stood behind her desk next to her to observe the images on the computer screen. First, she showed him a picture of Ross, a huge guy with a lot of muscle, with black short curls and russet-brown eyes. "This is the guy they caught, Ross Kinkaid. He works as a security guard in zoo". Then she showed Jack the picture of another huge man, even bigger than Kinkaid. "This is the one who got killed, Chad Atworth, from the UK. He used to be a cop in England until he got fired for corruption. He would sell his mother for cash. Now he works as a security guard in the Holocaust museum. Coincidentally, Kinkaid and him, both, took a personal day today. I guess to plan the attack"

"Why would they want to kill you?"

"Who says they wanted to kill me? Maybe they were after you or both of us", Renee pointed out.

"True". Jack was surprised and confused, though. Those guys weren't in his once kilometric list of enemies, which had actually grown shorter because many of them were dead now. He had never heard of Kinkaid and Atworth. "But I don't know them either".

After a pause, Renee moved on to the Leo issue. "Jack… Did you know Leo was hiding in the house?"

"I swear I didn't"

"He got hurt, Jack. They shot him in the leg"

Jack simply nodded. He already knew that. "Where is he now?"

"Nobody knows. He escaped, somehow". Renee then paused and frowned with anger directed at Jack in her pale blue eyes. "He wouldn't be hurt if you had turned him in to the authorities".

"I never wanted him to get hurt. I just feel like he's doing the right thing"

"The right thing? He shot three FBI agents today… He burnt a man alive, for God's sake!"

"He only _wounded_ those agents. He caused minimal damage", he pointed out, even though he knew that nobody would care about that fact. "And Igor Laitanan deserved to be burnt alive". Jack knew that wouldn't matter either.

Renee was about to say something, but she was interrupted by Erik's voice in the intercom. "Ms. Walker? Ms. O'Brian is on line one. She needs to talk to you"

"Okay, thanks". She then took the call and put Chloe O'Brian on the speaker. "Chloe, you're on the speaker, Jack's here with me. What's going on?"

Chloe as usual didn't waste time and went straight to the point. "Look, I know this doesn't matter now, but I managed to recover the deleted footage from the prison's security cameras. Leo didn't kill Jacob Bukin. Liev Mastrosov did".

"Did you tell the FBI?", Renee asked, even though she knew it actually didn't matter. Leo had done a lot of bad things ever since he escaped FBI custody after being framed for Bukin's death.

"I did". After answering, Chloe made a very awkward pause. She had to say something that wouldn't be well received. "Renee… Jeffrey Teller is now telling his agents to shoot to kill if they see Leo".

Renee rested her back against the back of her chair in shock. She had a terrified expression on her face.

Chloe just kept talking awkwardly. "Renee, CTU doesn't have jurisdiction over Leo's case. The FBI does. But if they find him they'll kill him". Chloe was doing that thing where she pointed out why a situation was really bad even though it was obvious, as she so often did. "I know you love him like a brother. I'm sorry"

Renee didn't have time to listen to Chloe anymore. "Chloe, I have to go now. We'll talk later". She then stood up and shot another angry dart at Jack with her eyes. "If you had turned him in this wouldn't have happened"

"I was trying to help", Jack protested, getting angry himself.

Renee sighed with clear frustration. "This is _exactly_ what I was worried about! This is _exactly_ why I wanted Leo to go to jail, so he wouldn't get killed". Jack said nothing. She sighed yet again. "Get out. Get out of my office"

Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What?"

"I can't even look at you right now"

"Fine", Jack spited out that word angrily in his usual way and left the office.

Renee truly hated it when they had one of their typical fights. But she felt she was in the right. Helping Leo had only make things worse. She soon decided there was only one thing she could do for Leo and called Jeffrey Teller.

Teller was still in the scene of Igor Laitanan's murder. He heard his cellphone ringing and took the call in an instant. "Teller"

"Jeffrey, this is Renee"

"Hi. Did they tell you what happened in your house?"

"Yes"

"Leo was there", Jeff said with clear accusation in his tone.

"I have nothing to do with it. I didn't even know he was there"

"You are his best friend, Renee…", he pointed out.

"But I didn't help him"

"The investigation with determine that"

"Look, I didn't call you to listen to your accusations. I'm calling you because I heard you ordered the agents to shoot Leo to kill"

"The guy is an animal, Renee. He shot at _three_ FBI agents today, he brutally killed those people at the construction site and he _burnt Igor Laitanan alive_. My men have to protect themselves. If they don't kill Craig, Craig will kill them"

"Leo would never kill an FBI agent!"

"The guy has become a brutal unpredictable animal. You don't know what he might do. You should see Igor Laitanan's body"

"He had it coming", Renee stated, knowing it wouldn't help.

"That doesn't matter. Craig is not above the law. And neither is your boyfriend"

She then decided to use the ace under her sleeve and used her best threating voice. "Listen to me, Jeff… if Leo dies today I will destroy you. And I don't mean just your career. I will make your whole life a living hell. And I will start by telling your wife about you and Marci"

Jeffrey was seriously alarmed then. "You can't do that! I have three children!"

"You should have thought about them before cheating on your wife. And Marci is not even your only mistress".

The agent was silent for a moment to think about what to do. "Okay. I'll order the guys not to kill Craig. But, Renee, if Craig kills one of my men it's gonna be your fault".

"He won't kill any of your men"

"I hope you're right. By the way, what do you think Larry would think if he could see you helping a criminal like Craig?"

Renee's delicate features were covered by a cloud of fury. "Go to hell". She hung up the phone.

**07.38.55 – 07.38.56 – 07.38.57 – 07.38.58 PM**

**Bethesda, Maryland.**

Leo was in the middle of the woods, trying to hide from the FBI. He was really screwed. He was in immense pain and he was losing a lot of blood from the wounds in his left leg and right shoulder. He had taken off his own sweater to make a tourniquet in his leg, which seemed to help a little with the blood loss. But he was freezing. The weather was very cold. To make matters even worse, he had left his jacket and backpack with many supplies in Renee's house. All he had in his possession now was his gun and some money in his pockets. He didn't know what to do.

He sat next to a tree feeling really dizzy and nauseated. His heart was beating maniacally and he was hyperventilating.

He had to do something. He had to get to a house, threaten whoever was inside with the gun and use the stuff they might have to stop the bleeding.

He managed to stand up and saw a lonesome house in the distance. With a lot of difficulty, he managed to get to the front garden of the house, but he was feeling weaker and weaker. Soon he collapsed to the ground on his back and lost consciousness.

A teenage girl emerged from the house carrying a bag with trash she had to take out. She dropped the bag in shock upon seeing the unconscious man covered in blood. She ran back to the house yelling out for her dad. "Daddy!"

The father emerged from the house and was also shocked to see the injured man there. "Call 911!"

**07.41.50 – 07.41.51 – 07.41.52 – 07.41.53 PM**

**FBI headquarters **

Agent Dale Reynolds walked into the FBI headquarters with Ross, who was handcuffed and looked scared. Soon, Janis Gold approached them. "Mark and Luis are already in surgery"

"What about Peter?", Dale asked with concern. Janis just looked down sadly and shook her head. The agent understood what that meant. He then addressed agent Timothy Moran. "Take this bastard to the interrogation room".

Then Tim brusquely grabbed a terrified Ross by the arm and started dragging him to the interrogation room. "Come on… move!"

"I need to talk to Jeffrey", Dale said to Janis. The nerdy data analyst nodded in acknowledgement, headed to her desk and went to place the call. After dialing the number, she handed Dale the receiver. Dale waited until Jeffrey took the call after three rings. "Jeffrey?"

"Dale, what have you got?"

"I have bad news. Peter is dead"

"Damn it! That's the second agent we lost today, we have three others who are wounded and our director completely lost his mind". Jeffrey puffed and shook his head. "Mark and Luis?"

"They are in surgery"

Jeffrey took the information in before reluctantly giving Dale some news. "By the way, the orders regarding Craig have changed. _Do not_ shoot to kill. It's imperative that we get him alive"

Dale was confused by that. "Why?"

"He has information we need", Jeffrey lied in an instant. Naturally, he couldn't say the real reason. "Now start questioning the suspect. I'm on my way". He said as he got in a car to go back to the headquarters. Then he disconnected the call.

Dale then handed Leo's cellphone to Janis. "Janis, this is Leo's. We need to analyze the content of the memory card"

"Okay", she agreed.

Dale headed to the interrogation room, where Ross was being interrogated by Tim Moran.

"Okay, Kinkaid…", Tim said with fury in his eyes. "Your friend killed my friend Peter so, I wanna know where your friend is"

"I don't know"

"Think! Where would he go to hide?", Tim insisted.

Ross didn't know the answer for sure. He could make a guess, but he wouldn't. "I don't know". He was very nervous. He imagined Brendan was furious. And Brendan was a very dangerous man. Ross's mouth was very dry and he was sweating like a pig. "I… I need water"

Tim was outraged. "Water? Do we look like waiters to you?"

Dale then interfered, to cool things down. "It's okay, Tim. Give him some water". Tim left reluctantly to get a glass of water. Dale took a seat in front of the suspect. "We caught you with a bomb in the house of the president's chief of staff. You're in serious trouble, Kinkaid. The smartest thing you can do right now is cooperate. Tell us what you know".

"I want a lawyer"

"We'll get you one. But, in the meantime, you should tell us what you know"

"If I talk, I'm a dead man"

At that moment, Janis Gold appeared. "Dale, I need to talk to you"

"Think about what I said", Dale told the suspect before going with Janis to the adjoining observation room. "What is it?"

"Ross Kinkaid actually owns the apartment in which those bodies appeared, apartment 3 A. Those murders _have_ to be connected with the attempt to kill Renee. And Igor Laitanan was definitely at that apartment. His fingerprints were all over the place"

"So Kinkaid is somehow connected to the murder of Elizabeth too", Dale concluded.

"And there're bloody footprints that prove that Leo was also in the apartment and then headed to Mrs. Solomon's place"

"To look for Laitanan, I'm sure", Dale easily guessed. "Now, why would this guy hide Elizabeth's killer in his apartment?". Janis said nothing since she didn't know the answer. Dale then he headed back into the interrogation room. "How do you know Igor Laitanan?"

"I know nothing about that fat dude"

Ross was clearly lying. Dale gave him a clear I-am-not-an-idiot look. "You obviously know him"

"I don't"

"And do you know who these men are?", Dale asked while showing Ross pictures of the people murdered in apartment 3A. Ross shook his head. "They were killed in your apartment, Ross"

Ross was confused. It was the first time he heard of the murders in the apartment which, actually, belonged to Brendan. It was under Ross's name for Brendan's protection. "I don't know anything"

Finally, Tim came back with a glass full of water. "Here you have" He brusquely put the glass on the table.

_Ross drank a bit of water. _

_Meanwhile, Leo was in an ambulance, being taken to the hospital_

_At that moment, Jeffrey Teller was driving to the FBI headquarters. _

_At the same time, Zoe was driving to her house, looking miserable. _

**07.45.46 – 07.45.47 – 07.45.48 – 07.45.49 PM**

* * *

><p><strong>07.49.05 – 07.49.06 – 07.49.07 – 07.49.08 PM<strong>

_Ross was sitting by himself in the interrogation room as they waited for his lawyer. _

_Renee was in her office meeting with her deputy. _

_Arizona and Garrick were posted outside Renee's office. _

_Then the ambulance arrived to __Sibley Memorial Hospital__ with Leo. _

The EMTs rushed Leo into the ER and soon a team of doctors and nurses went to receive him. An EMT informed the doctors. "White male. About 50 years old. Two gunshots in the shoulder and the leg. No exit wound. BP is 120/90"

They began the treatment and soon a nurse recognized Leo from the news. "This is that guy the FBI is looking for. Leon Craig".

"Call the FBI and call security. And ask for his medical history", a doctor called Gillian Bailey ordered. Then he addressed the patient, who seemed pretty agitated. "Mr. Craig, relax. We are going to take good care of you"

Leo then grabbed a doctor by the arm, took off the oxygen mask and tried to speak. "Renee Walker. Need to talk to Renee Walker"

"Sir, we need to take you to surgery right now", the doctor told him.

Leo shook his head. "Don't put me under general anesthesia until I talk to Renee Walker"

"Mr. Craig…"

"Get me a damn phone!". After yelling he winced in pain.

Two hospital security guards soon appeared and handcuffed Leo to the bars on the side of the gurney. Leo didn't fight it because he was feeling very weak.

The doctor took her own cellphone from her pocket and gave it to Leo, figuring there was no harm in letting him make one phone call. "But make it quick"

Leo nodded and dialed the number of Renee's office.

Erik picked up the phone after a couple of rings. "Renee Walker's office, how may I help you?"

"This is Leo Craig. I need to talk to Renee"

Erik widened his black eyes in shock. "Of course. I'll patch you through"

Very soon Renee took the call. "Yeah?"

"Renee, it's me"

Renee couldn't believe his ears. "Leo! Oh my God! Where the hell are you?"

"In the hospital. They are taking me to surgery soon". He winced in pain once again. "Listen, I saw the evidence Jason Pillar had. Laitanan had stolen it. There are pictures and a video that prove Yuri Suvarov had Omar Hassan killed and was involved in giving the radioactive bomb to Hassan's enemies"

Renee was in complete shock. "And where is it?"

"The memory card is in my cellphone, which I left in your house. The FBI must have it. Tell them to see the video".

Renee sighed in relief. "Okay, Leo. This is over now, right? Laitanan is dead and Suvarov will pay for what he did. So don't do anything stupid like trying to escape"

"I'm not planning to. I did what I had to do and I'm willing to pay the consequences"

Renee's heart was breaking. She didn't want her friend to go to jail, but there was no way out. A part of her hated Leo for what he had done. "What you did… damn it, Leo. You don't decide who lives and who dies"

Leo chucked bitterly. "That's where you're very-very wrong. You mean that I _shouldn't_ decide, but I did… I have made such decision many-many times"

Renee grew even more furious when she realized Leo felt no remorse whatsoever. "Are you even aware of what you did?"

"I did it for Lizzy. She deserved justice"

Renee gasped exasperated. "_For_ Lizzy? You have no idea of what's gonna happen now, don't you? Her name will be forever associated to today murders. Whenever someone talks about her they'll say she's the reason why you went crazy and killed all those people". Renee's pale blue eyes were blurred by unshed tears. "She'll be remembered for _this_. Not for her years of service or her sweetness and kindness".

Leo felt like someone was sticking a knife in his heart. He just looked down ashamed and said nothing as the tears filled his hazel eyes.

Renee sighed with resignation. "Look, in spite of what you did, you're my best friend. So, I'll do my best to get you the shortest possible sentence. I'll use the full power of my office"

"I don't care about that".

The defeat and sadness in Leo's tone made Renee's heart ache badly. "But I do".

Dr. Bailey then interrupted then. "Mr. Craig…. You really need to be taken to surgery now"

Leo nodded in acknowledgement and addressed Renee once again. "I have to go now"

"I'll visit you as soon as I can", Renee promised sincerely.

Leo simply hung up the phone.

**07.52.18 – 07.52.19 – 07.52.20 – 07.52.21 PM**

**Suitland- Silver Hill, Maryland. – Howe Av. and Lewis Av. – Brendan Marson's apartment**

Brendan took off his t-shirt, folded it neatly and put it carefully over the bed. Then he looked at himself in the mirror that was by the closet. His chest was full of the scars from the burns he had received during his time in the US. Special Forces, when a mission had gone terribly wrong. His face looked perfect, though, because he had the scars on the face fixed with plastics surgeries. He considered himself a very attractive man with his electric blue eyes, blonde hair and tick eyebrows. He was sure that if they made a movie about Brendan Marson, Martin Sheen would play the role.

After removing the rest of his clothes, he put on a police uniform his girlfriend had made especially for him.

His son Nolan then walked into the bedroom after knocking softly on the door. "Dad? Are you ready?"

"Yes, indeed". He then looked at himself in the mirror once again. "Doesn't this uniform look _exactly_ like the real ones?"

"It does. My compliments to Teddy".

"Yeah. She kept whining about how sexist it was that because she's the woman she was put in charge of the clothes. But she did a good job". He then patted his son's shoulder. "Let's go"

In the living room, other members of the gang were waiting for them. Mason Butcher, the nerdy bomb expert who had a PHD in chemistry, and Brigham Dawson, a huge British guy who used to be in the military.

Mason approached Brendan and Nolan and handed them two cellphones, then he gave Brigham another one. He showed them how it worked. "These are the detonators. You've to press this button. After you do, you have three minutes, and only three minutes, to leave"

"And the primary bomb?", Brendan asked as he examined his detonator.

"Mandy already has it", Mason explained.

Brendan nodded approvingly. "Okay". He realized that a member of his team was missing. "Where's Drake?"

Right on cue, Drake entered the apartment, returning from his ordeal in Renee's house. "I'm here, boss"

"If you were followed I'll kill you", Brendan warned severely.

"I wasn't", Drake assured him.

Brendan was satisfied. Then he realized it was time to give an inspirational speech. "Okay, people. We are well prepared. Operation Infinite Chaos will be a success. It _has_ to be a success. We have all been screwed over by the government. They are not protecting Americans like they should. Liberal measures simply don't work and we are gonna prove it. We'll make them see their errors. _That's_ gonna be our legacy". He threw firmly a fist in the air for emphasis. Then he addressed Drake. "Get changed so we can go".

Drake nodded and left to do as told.

**07.54.32 – 07.54.33 – 07.54.34 – 07.54.35 PM**

**FBI HEADQUARTERS**

Janis was working in her computer as always and heard his phone ringing. She took the call after two rings. "Gold"

It was Renee calling her. "Janis, it's me".

"Renee, what can I do for you?"

"Did they found Leo's cell phone in my house?", Renee asked with urgency in her tone.

"Yes".

"Have you looked at the content of the memory card?"

"Yeah. Why?", Janis answered casually.

Renee was surprised to hear that. She thought the evidence in Leo's cellphone would cause a big commotion once discovered. "What did you see?"

Janis shrugged. "Nothing really interesting. Music, photos of Cooper and Elizabeth. Messages from you, Elizabeth and other agents"

Renee couldn't understand what was going on she was growing alarmed. "That's Leo's memory card. But he put _the other_ memory card in his cellphone"

"What other memory card?"

"There was _another_ memory card, with evidence that proved Yuri Suvarov was behind the assassination of Omar Hassan and the providing of nuclear weapons to the IRK rebels"

"There was no other memory card, Renee"

"Leo saw it with his own eyes. Tell Jeffrey to look for it"

Janis didn't quite believe it. "Leo is not in his right mind, Renee. He's gone crazy".

"Just look for the damn card, Janis", Renee ordered and hung up the phone.

Janis hung up the phone too and then saw two men she didn't know walking into the bullpen. She stood up and approached them to find out who they were.

One of the men introduced himself flashing a badge. "Hi. I'm agent Brady Weathers, secret service, and this is my partner Agent Connor Mcallister"

Right then FBI Agents Lenny Charters and Brandon Turner entered the bullpen with some evidence they had collected from Judith Solomon's apartment and from apartment 3A. Brandon noticed the secret service agents and got upset because he knew who they were and why they were there. "Oh, no. No. No. You are not taking the case away from us".

Brady immediately stepped up to face Brandon. "We are not taking anything away from you. We were told to _share_ jurisdiction".

"No way", Brandon protested. "This is an FBI case"

Of course, Brady wouldn't have that. "Kinkaid was found with a bomb inside the house of _the White House Chief of Staff_. It's our jurisdiction".

"He's somehow connected to the murder of one of our agents. _Two_ of the FBI most wanted men were in his apartment", Lenny then argued angrily.

It was then Connor who intervened. "Which is why we'll let you be involved in the case too"

Brandon was outraged. "_You_ will let _us_? No, pal. _We_ will let _you_". He pocked Connor's chest with the index finger when he said 'you' for extra emphasis.

"Gentlemen, we are wasting valuable time", Brady said. "We need to see the suspect".

"I'll show you", Lenny said, clearly unhappy about it. "This is _our_ house after all".

The four agents marched into the interrogation room. When they opened the door the four pairs of eyes widened in surprise. Ross was lying in a pond of his own blood with cuts in his wrists. The cuts had been made with the glass of water, which was now broken.

**07.57.03 – 07.57.04 – 07.57.05 – 07.57.06 PM**

**The White House**

Jack was at the moment in the middle of a meeting with Carlton Greene, Undersecretary of Defense for intelligence, and Ariel Swan, Undersecretary of Defense for policy. They were discussing the important matter of the US. Nuclear weapon program.

"I know this is not what you want to hear, Jack. But I can't do anything about it", Ariel explained. "Secretary Fenwick is determined to fight the Taylor Nuclear Initiative with all his forces"

"He hates the idea of reducing our nuclear arsenal even more than he hates abortions and homosexuals", Carlson added.

Jack just blinked, not knowing what to say. For some strange reason, he was having problems carrying on a simple conversation. His head was aching like hell and he felt dizzy and with nauseas. The pain was so strong. But he had to say something. He had to focus. He looked at the notes he had in front of him and thought of something. "Tell him… uh, have you…?". He made a short pause as he felt like an iron anvil fell in his head from the top of the Empire State building. "Have you explained to him that the president's idea is good for the economy?". Another wave of pain hit him. He felt lost and had to read from his notes again. "1.2 million…". He blinked with confusion again. "No, I'm sorry… 1.2 _billion_ were paid under the… the…". He had to read from the notes again. "The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of 1990…. to U.S. citizens exposed to nuclear hazards resulting of _our_ nuclear weapons program". He then winced in pain.

Carlton and Ariel exchanged a concerned look. Something was obviously wrong with Jack. "Are you okay, Jack? Can we get you anything?"

"I'm fine", Jack groaned unconvincingly. But he couldn't take it anymore. He pressed the button of the intercom to ask his assistant for help. "Chloe! I need an aspirin, now!"

Instantly, his assistant Ruth appeared. Jack looked at her like he couldn't recognize her. Ruth was also puzzled. "My name is Ruth, sir. Not Chloe".

Jack shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He was embarrassed but only showed anger. "Of course your name is Ruth! What are you saying? Just get me the damn aspirin!"

"Can we do anything for you?", Carlton asked with genuine concern.

But Jack didn't get to answer. He stood up and started going to the bathroom to throw up. But he didn't make it to the bathroom. But he didn't make it. He vomited three times in a trash can in his office.

**07.59.56 – 07.59.57 – 07.59.58 – 07.59.59 PM**

**08.00.00 PM**

**(Thanks for taking your time to read it! It means a lot to me. Now, please, take 5 more minutes to write a review sharing your thoughts about it. Consider that I took many hours of my life to write this chapter)**


	13. Of course they have a mole

**Author's note:** Thank you very much for the support I get. Specially thanks very much to SithKiller24 for putting this story in the favorite list! It made my day.

I sincerely apologize if you are confused by the amount of agents and white house staffers, but I try to make this story as realistic as I can and, in real life, there are a lot of agents and staffers. You might remember some of the names from Day 7 and Day 8. Like agents Reynolds, Charters, Turner, Hobson and Teller. They didn't have first names on the show, so I had to make them up. Allison's assistant Patrick appeared on day 7, and Susan was Allison's assistant on day 8, but they didn't have last names.

**Clarification:** Paul and Andrew Geselovsky, who appear in this chapter, were actually mentioned in the extra material we got from Operation Hero. They worked for Vladimir six years before Day 8 and were arrested. It's never stated whether they were free by the time Day 8 came or not. It's not said whether they were working for Vladimir on Day 8 or not. It's also never said if they were brothers, cousins, or had any other relation. In my imagination, they are identical twins who left prison sometime after Day 8.

**Disclaimer:** The show's not mine. Neither are the characters. I just own the necklace Elisha Cubert used on season 7, the earrings Cherry Jones used on season 8, Marie Warner's purse and the complete set of DVDs.

**CHAPTER 13:**

"**Of course they have a mole****"**

**Previously: **Renee and Jack had a fight because he helped Leo instead of turning him to the authorities.

Zoe's husband showed up drunk in the White House, so Erik told her to go home. He'll go to the capitol instead of her.

The Attorney General is going after Jack for helping Leo.

Leo saw the evidence Charles Logan used to blackmail Suvarov, the one Igor Laitanan had stolen from Jason Pillar. The evidence was pictures of Novacovich giving money to Pavel Tokarev and Tokarev then giving money to the Russian mob. There was also a video of Suvarov and Novacovich talking about their plans to have Omar Hassan killed to kill the peace treaty. While he was watching the video in Renee's house, Brendan's men showed up to plant a bomb there. The FBI also appeared, looking for Leo. Leo killed one of Brendan's men, Chad, while the FBI arrested another one of Brendan's minions, Ross Kinkaid. Leo was shot in his left leg and right shoulder. He was taken to Sibley Memorial Hospital.

Kinkaid was interrogated but didn't say anything useful. He then appeared dead in the interrogation room with her wrists cut and a broken glass of water next to him.

There are moles in the FBI, the White House and the secret service.

The group wants to have Jack killed before the state of the union so he doesn't run into the beautiful assassin known as Mandy, who is posing as a Secret Service agent called Melinda Kirshner. Someone put something on Jack's coffee. He felt very strong headaches and nauseas.

_The following takes place between 07.00 PM and 08.00 PM, on the day of the State of the Union Address_.

**January 29th 2019 – Wednesday**

**Washington DC. – The White House**

**08.03.27 PM **

Renee was in her office, sitting on her big salmon velvet couch while her nerdy-looking deputy George and communications director, Caldwell Coleman, were sitting on the matching chairs. She was informing them of the most recent events.

-Leon Craig remains now in custody in Sibley Memorial Hospital- She ate a little bit of a sandwich she had on the table and continued talking -He apparently found evidence that, un-doubtfully, link Yuri Suvarov to the assassination of Omar Hassan and the sale of nuclear material to IRK rebels-.

The men were pleasantly surprised to hear that. George three a fist on the air in celebration.

-That's great! Where is it?-

-That's the bad news- Renee explained. -The FBI hasn't found it yet. It's a memory card that was supposed to be inside Leo's cell phone. But when the FBI looked it wasn't there-

-So, we've got nothing- Caldwell concluded with disappointment.

-It has to be somewhere, Cal. Leo saw it with his own eyes- Renee said.

Caldwell was clearly not satisfied with that.

-Then all we have now is the word of a criminal-

Renee shot him an angry look.

-I'm sorry, Renee- Cal said, raising his arms defensively-I know he's your friend. But he killed at least four people today-. Caldwell was counting Igor Laitanan and the three Russian gangsters Leo had killed on a construction site in Virginia. - Suvarov's lawyers will say he's not to be trusted- Cal said, making his point. -That he's just looking to make a deal with the US. Government-

-You have to talk to him- George then told Renee. -You have to ask him where he left it-

-I can't right now. He's in surgery- Renee reminded him, finding the situation exasperating -But I can do it once the surgery over-. Then she addressed Caldwell. -Now, read me again the paragraph about Suvarov and Hassan-

Caldwell complied and read out loud very quickly an important part of the State of the Union Address.

-Last may kamistani president Omar Hassan was brutally and cowardly assassinated in out soil- he read and then cleared his throat-And we all saw that with our own eyes- He made a pause to let the words sink in.-The IRK rebel who killed him is now dead too. However, that disturbed individual and the men working for him were not the only ones responsible for the deplorable assassination- He scratched the bald spot on his head as he meditated on the words while reading them-I was shocked and disgusted to find out that Yuri Suvarov, then Russian President, was the man who ordered said assassination- He cleared his throat once again-He also arranged the sale of nuclear material to IRK rebels who were about to detonate a radioactive bomb in Manhattan. But, I promise you that justice will prevail.- He said while making a fist with the hand that wasn't holding the paper-In one month, he'll be tried on the International Criminal Court, and I myself will give my testimony. The United States will not tolerate any attack on our freedom, or on our allies-

-What if you change _disgusted_ by _sickened_?- Renee suggested.

-All right- Caldwell agreed with a nod.

-Should we add something about the new evidence we found?- Renee's deputy then wondered out loud.

Renee shook her head.

-Not until we have it on our own hands-

Then Erik Pratt walked into the office with Ruth Carmichael, Jack assistant. Renee instantly noticed that the older woman looked kind of upset and was alarmed by it.

-Yeah?-

-Ma'am- Ruth began tentatively -Mr. Bauer had to be taken to medical-

Renee practically jumped on her feet and began exiting her office to go to medical.

-What happened?-

Ruth followed her, struggling to keep up with her, as she explained the situation.

-He threw up a lot. And his head was aching very badly- Ruth said as they reached the elevator and

and bit her lower lip before adding more information. -He also seemed…. Uh…. Confused-

Renee felt instantly alarmed.

-What do you mean?-

-He called me Chloe-

-Is Doctor Welton on call?- Renee asked, even more worried now.

-No. He's on vacations: In Paris, I think-

-Who's available?-

-Charlie Altman-

-Never heard of him- Renee commented with obvious distrust in her tone and in her features.

The elevator the arrived and the two women got in it. Renee pressed the button that went underground, where the white house infirmary was.

-He started last week, ma'am- Ruth explained.

-Dr. Welton must have hired him without telling me- Renee speculated with a frown.

It didn't exactly fill Renee with confidence. Hiring Dr. Altman without consulting it with Renee was downright wrong to her.

-Please, Ms. Carmichael, would you get me all the available information on Dr. Altman?-

She wanted to know everything about the person responsible for the president's health, even more so if said person was also responsible for Jack's health.

-Of course, ma'am- Ruth agreed with a nod.

Then Renee thought that, maybe, giving Ruth orders was inappropriate considering the assistant worked for Jack.

-I should ask Erik. After all your work for Jack, not for me-

But Ruth didn't mind.

-It's really okay. Ms. Walker-.

The elevator arrived to the infirmary's floor. Renee got down but Ruth didn't.

-I'll go to investigate Dr. Altman- the older woman announced.

-Thank you- Renee nodded appreciatively-

She walked fast towards infirmary and ran into a Latina-looking female nurse. "Excuse me, where's Jack Bauer?"

-He's in the bathroom, but you can wait for him in there- the nurse answered pointing at a room labeled _'Medical exam room 2'._

Renee imagined Jack was in the bathroom throwing up. She was so extremely worried. What was wrong with him?

**08.06.38 - 08.06.39 - 08.06.40 PM - 08.06.41 PM **

**FBI Headquarters**

FBI agents Lenny Charters and Brandon Turner were analyzing carefully the scene they had just found in the interrogation room. They had found their suspect, Ross kinkaid, dead with cuts in his wrists. Secret Service agent Connor Mcallister was also there, taking photos of the scene, which looked like a suicide.

Just outside the interrogation room, Secret Service agent Brady Weathers was arguing heatedly with Dale Reynolds, the highest-ranking FBI agent present in the building at the moment. Weathers was a very intimidating man in his early forties. He looked like a night club's bouncer, being 6,1 feet tall and weighing 280 pounds. He had a big hawk nose, tick lips and a prominent chin. His eyes were steel-blue and heavy-lidded.

-How could this happen?! How the hell could this happen in your watch?- Brady yelled at Dale like it was the FBI agent's fault.

-Don't you raise your voice at me!- Dale yelled back, lifting a finger for enphasis.-I had to go get the polygraph to continue the interrogation, Moran was supposed to be watching the suspect. And, believe me, I'll write him up.-

Since Jeffrey Teller was still on his way, Dale was the highest-ranking FBI agent in the building. He was an atractive man in his early thirties with chestnut-Brown deep-set eyes. He had black hair in a bald fade and a goatee. His nose was straight, almost flawless, and ended with a soft curvy tip.

Right on cue, FBI Agent Tim Moran walked into the room innocently. He was also very attractive. He had reddish hair and hazel eyes. His nose was perfect in size and shape.

-Where the hell were you?- Dale instantly barked at his partner.

With surprise, Tim looked around and noticed the suspect lying in a pond of blood with cuts in the wrists and two agents examining the scene.

-What on earth…?-

-Kinkaid killed himself- Dale explained with a frown.

-Or so it seems- Brady added with clear suspicion in his tone.

Dale then looked at Tim and repeated the question he had made before.

-Where were you?-

-I had to use the bathroom. I was only gone for two minutes- a very perplexed Tim replied as he scratched his head.

-It was enough- Dale pointed out, still angry. He crossed his arms and stared at Tim angrily.

-I'm sorry- Tim muttered, looking properly chastened

Lenny Charters then left the interrogation room and addressed his superior.

-This was clearly a suicide. Still, we took fingerprints from the glass of water and Janis will analyze the footage from the security camera-

-Ms. Gold should send the footage to our expert, so he can analyze it as well- Brady said.

-That's unnecessary- Dale rushed to say as he waved his hand -Janis Gold is one of the best data analysts in the country-

-So is our guy, Dexter Brewer- Brady said with a severe tone.-Tell your girl to work with him.-

Without waiting for an answer, he left to see the Ross's corpse himself.

-Dexter is a ridiculous name- Tim muttered softly as if talking to himself.

His comment got him an angry stare from Dale, who thought the remark was out of place.

-Supervise the transfer of the body to the morgue- Dale ordered, clearly pissed. Their always sent any dead body to the morgue of Sibley Memorial Hospital.

Inside the interrogation room, Brady was carefully examining Ross Kinkaid's body. He then noticed a tiny mark on the deceased's neck which looked like an injection had been given.

-Mcallister, look at this- Brady ordered rather brusquely.

Connor approached him and looked at what his partner was pointing at.

-I see- he said with a nod- You should call Nate-

Brady nodded and instantly took his cellphone to do as Connor had suggested.

Nathaniel O'Malley, Director of Secret Service White House Operations, was at the capitol, preparing everything for the upcoming speech. He heard his cellphone and took the call rapidly.

-Yeah?-

-It's Agent Weathers, sir- Brady said. -We have a problem. Ross kinkaid is dead-

-He was our only witness!- Nathan exclaimed too loudly with anger showing in his almond aquamarine eyes. Ross was going to tell them who had sent him and to other guys to Renee's house with a bomb. -How could that happen?-

-It wasn't our fault- Brady said, lifting his shoulders in a what-do-you-want-from-me manner-He was dead in the interrogation room when we got here. An FBI guy left him alone to go to the bathroom, apparently-

-How did Kinkaid die?-

-At first it looked like a suicide, because his wrists are sliced- Brady explained, talking very quickly- But now I see a mark on his neck…- He made a pause and scratched the back of his head-it seems like someone injected him something…-

-…And then sliced his wrists- Nathan completed his subordinate's sentence.

-Sir… Only people working for the FBI were around- Brady pointed out with a clear insinuation in his tone.

Brady then looked around to see if someone from the FBI had heard him. Nobody had.

-They have a mole- Nathan concluded, in shock. He puffed and shook his head in disbelief.

-Should I inform the White House?- Brady asked.

-I will once we know for sure- Nathan said rapidly. -They have security cameras in the interrogation room, right?- he asked as he scratched the his head. He didn't wait for an answer because it was only a rhetorical question. -So, make them send Dexter the footage-.

-I already told them to do that, sir-

Nathan was pleased to hear it.

-Good-

**08.09.02 - 08.09.03 - 08.09.04 PM - 08.09.05 PM **

**The White House - Medical**

Renee scratched the side of her left arm with her right hand nervously as she waited for Jack. Then a petite woman with black long hair combed in two braids and champagne brown eyes appeared. The woman was wearing a white coat and was holding a chart. She went into examining room two and saw Renee waiting there.

-Excuse me, have you seen Mr. Bauer?-

-He's in the bathroom- Renee explained. And then narrowed her eyes with suspicion -Who are you?-

The woman gave a friendly smile and extended her hand for Renee to shake.

-Charlie Altman-

Renee shook the woman's hand feeling confused.

-You're Dr. Altman? I'm sorry. I was expecting a man-

The doctor gave Renee another friendly smile.

- I get that a lot. My name is actually Charlotte but people call me Charlie- she explained with a cheerful tone and a southern drawl.

So, Charlotte Altman was a perky woman who went by a man's name. Renee found that information interesting. Apparently, the doctor was a woman trying to fit in a man's word, like Renee herself. Renee then noticed the doctor had a red rose embodied in her white coat, which didn't seem very professional to the serious White House Chief of Staff. And Charlotte's braids looked kind of juvenile to Renee.

-I never heard of you till today- Renee told her with clear distrust in her tone, looking at the doctor up and down. -What's your specialty, Dr. Altman?-

She didn't like the fact that Charlie Altman was not famous like Dr. Sunny Macer, specialist in infectious diseases, or Dr. Welton, a well-known general surgeon. Dr. Macer was the director from the CDC and a legend whose name everybody knew, especially because of her investigation with steam cells to treat brain degeneration.

-I'm a cardio thoracic surgeon-

Then Jack walked into the examination room. His skin looked practically white and he was sweating.

-Jack- Renee greeted him tentatively.

-Hey- Jack greeted back.

He locked eyes with her and his whole body tensed,since he didn't know what to expect. Renee was, after all, mad at him. He introduced her to the brunette

-Dr. Altman, this is my fiancée, Renee Walker-

-We were just getting acquainted- the doctor said with yet another smile. Then she frowned with concern. -Are you still experiencing vomiting?-

-And my head hurts- Jack said with a nod.

-I see- the doctor said as she looked at Jack's chart with an intense look.

Jack sat in the exam bed they had there and took off the jacket of his pantsuit, his red tie and his white shirt while the doctor spoke.

-According to the nurse's report you had a blood pressure of 190/120. That, plus the vomiting and the headache indicate a hypertensive crisis- the doctor explained.

Charlotte listened to Jack's heart with a stethoscope. His heartbeat was irregular, which also indicated a hypertensive crisis. She also looked at his pupils. She noticed as well that Jack was flushing, which indicated dehydration, which was not strange given the vomiting. The doctor then very quickly prepared an injection.

-I'm gonna give you acetazolamide and some fluids. You are dehydrated- Charllote said, and then looked at Renee uncomfortably. With Renee in the room, she couldn't say something else she wanted to say. So she turned to look at Renee. -I'm sorry, Ms. Walker, you'll have to leave the room-

-No. No- Jack said quickly -You can talk in front of her-

-Okay- the doctor agreed and then injected the medication for the blood pressure as she spoke. -I could give you pain killers for your headache, but I wouldn't recommend it because of your history of drug use. In your chart it says that you were addicted to heroin?-

-Yes- Jack confirmed- I became addicted nine years ago, then I was clean for seven years but I had a relapse. But now I'm clean again-

-How long have you been clean?- Charlie asked.

-Eleven months- Jack answered truthfully.

He gave Renee a tiny smile. She was the reason why he was clean again. He remembered the physical pain he had endured after being exposed to that pathogen and having to undergo the experimental treatment. That pain had made him inevitably addicted to pain killers, and once the pain killers stopped working for him, heroin followed suit. But Renee had helped him get through detox. She had taken care of him like a mother.

-For eleven months?- the doctor asked narrowing her eyes.

Jack sensed that Charlie didn't believe him and resented it.

-Yes. Eleven months- Jack stated firmly and then winced in pain since the headache was killing him.

Charlotte sighed.

-I'm gonna be honest with you, Mr. Bauer- She took a seat behind a wooden desk as she spoke-Hypertensive crisis usually occur in people who have already been diagnosed with high blood pressure. Not your case- She rested her elbows over her desk and one hand on top of the other-And fewer than one percent of the Americans diagnosed with high blood pressure actually develop hypertensive crisis, which is more common among African-Americans-

-What's your point, doctor?- Jack asked with urgency in his tone. He felt like crap but he was itching to get back to work.

The doctor gave him a sympathetic smile and went to her point quickly in a professional manner.

-Given that you're not an African-American diagnosed with high blood-pressure, the causes for your hypertensive crisis must be either a vascular disease, the use of drugs like cocaine or amphetamines, a head insure or- She cleared her throat awkwardly-a tumor-

-A tumor?- Renee asked visibly horrified.

Jack felt crushed. It had to be a brain tumor. He couldn't think of another possibility.

-I don't use drugs- Jack said and sighed with defeat in his eyes-I don't have any vascular disease and I haven't hurt my head in a year, so…-

He and Renee exchanged a look. Renee seemed about to cry.

-It could also be glomerular nephritis- the doctor rushed to say to reassure them. -Which is a renal disease. Inflammation of the blood vessels of both kidneys- She explained and bit her lower lip. It wasn't good, but it was definitely better than a tumor. -I would like to transfer you to MedStar Washington Hospital Center so you can spend the night there in observation- She then stood up to go make the arrangements-They can ran some test, including a full body scan-

-Whatever you think it's best- Jack agreed nodding.

-Okay. I'll go set it up- Charlotte said rather cheerfully with a smile and quickly left the room.

Renee then took a seat next to Jack with her pale blue eyes wetted by tears she didn't shed.

-I'm sure I'll be fine- Jack said and took her hand to comfort her.

-You have to be- Renee stated firmly. Then she shook her head and sighed deeply. -Oh, Jack. Somehow you always make it impossible for me to stay mad at you- She then gave a soft chuckle and shook her head again. She was such a softie when it came to Jack. - But having a hypertensive crisis to get me to forgive is a little bit desperate. Don't you think?- she joked in a lighter tone.

-So, you forgive me?- Jack asked hopefully.

Renee looked down for a second, sighed and then her eyes met Jack's as she held his hand.

-Look, what you did was very stupid. You broke the law and put yourself at risk. You forgot about your new responsibilities, which are your job and me- She looked down again sadly as she thought of the danger Jack had been in- So, don't think that I agree with what you did. But I love you- Her pale blue eyes then met his again as she lovingly caressed his cheek. -I love you so much. So, I'm going to forgive you because I can't live without you-

It was something really hard for her to admit. She hated the fact that she needed Jack so badly since she took pride in her independence.

-I couldn't live without you either, sweetheart- Jack admitted with watery eyes. -You know I never meant to do any harm. I just… I just feel very bad for Leo-

-I know- she said nodding. -He's in so much pain- She shook her head sadly-And I wish I could help him- She put a hand over her heart as if saying "I swear"-But only going to jail will save his life at this point. So, promise you won't help him anymore-

Jack hesitated for a moment before answering. But as soon as his eyes met Renee's sad and concerned ones, he had to give in.

-I promise- He said and sighed feeling beat. His head was still aching. Then he remembered he had some information to share with his fiancée. -Renee, Leo…- He hesitated for a moment since what he was going to say was really sad-Leo was planning to propose to Liz-He asked Cooper's permission to do that this morning-

Renee then felt hit by a tsunami of sadness. Her eyes sparkled with tears. Her two friends had loved each other so much. It was heartbreaking that Leo and Liz wouldn't get to spend a long life together. She had no words to express her sadness.

Jack pulled her closer to him for an embrace. His head still hurt like hell, but it felt nice having her so close to him. He then held her hand and rubbed circles on it with his thumb.

Renee looked down at the hands. She remembered that she no longer had her gorgeous engagement ring on her left hand. Her hand felt so naked without her stunning engagement ring. It had a white rounded diamond in the middle and two princess-cut sapphires, one at each side of the diamonds. The stones were set in a 14 k gold band.

-Igor Laitanan stole my ring- Renee told Jack sadly.

-Maybe they found it in the crime scene-

Renee shook her head.

-They didn't. I asked- She said and scratched her arm while looking down. –I know it's stupid to worry about a ring in a time like this. But I loved it so much. It meant the world to me-

It wasn't just that the ring was stunning. It was symbol of the perfect union of her and Jack.

Jack didn't bother to say that he would buy her another one because he knew Renee wouldn't care. She wanted that particular ring because of its sentimental value. She didn't want another one.

-I know, sweetheart- he whispered. Then he caressed her cheek and looked into her pale blue eyes- Look, with or without a ring we'll get married on March 25th. That's all that matters-

Renee nodded in agreement and gave him a tiny smile.

_Jack then gave her a kiss in the head in a protective dad manner. _

_At that moment, in the FBI headquarters Ross's body was being taken to the morgue as Brady Weathers watched intensely._

_Meanwhile, in the capitol building Nathan was taking a look around the main chamber to supervise everything._

_At the same time, Dr. Altman was on the phone with the people from __MedStar Washington Hospital Center._

**08.16.19 - 08.16.20 - 08.16.21 PM - 08.16.22 PM **

**08. 19.07 – 08.19.08 – 08.19.09- 08.19.10 PM**

_Jack was being taken to MedStar Hospital Center in an ambulance. _

_Meanwhile, Dale Reynolds was revising some evidence found in Renee's house._

_Right then, Caldwell and George kept doing last minute changes to the big speech. _

_At that moment, Renee was headed back to her office._

In the antechamber of the chief of staff's office, Erik Pratt was working hard as usual. As soon as he saw his boss walking in, he stood up.

-Ms. Walker, how's Mr. Bauer?- he asked with genuine concern in his black eyes.

-They are taking him to the hospital for some tests- was Renee's answer. She cloaked her concern over Jack with a mask of coldness to appear strong. Then she looked around and noticedher second assistant was missing. -Where's Zoe? I thought she was coming to the capitol with me-

-I'll go with you instead, ma'am. She…- He made a pause and hesitated since he didn't want to sell her colleague out-had to go home-

-Something happened?- Renee asked getting worried. Erik was silent and looked down appearing uncomfortable. -What happened, Erik?- Renee insisted.

-I told her to go home. Her husband needed her- Erik finally said, omitting the full story.

Renee shook her head in clearly disapproval.

-Erik, it was supposed to be _your_ night off. You can't keep covering for her-

-I wanted to, ma'am- Erik assured her.

Erik was very discreet so he didn't add the part about Zoe's husband showing up drunk and demanding her attention. He also didn't say that he was worried about Zoe because she seemed to have a lot of problems at home and tended to show up with bruises on her face.

Renee didn't know about the incident with Zoe's husband but she had already noticed that the guy was very demanding, and probably abusive. Still, that didn't mean Erik had to sacrifice his little spare time.

-It's your decision- Renee lifted her shoulders in resignation-But you deserve to have a life too. Just because she's married it doesn't mean that her life comes first-

-I know that, ma'am-

-You should go out more, Erik. Have some fun. Ask a nice girl out- Renee suggested in a big-sister tone.

Erik simply smiled back without saying anything. He had a crush on Zoe and wasn't interested in other girls. But he knew he had to get over that. He didn't want to discuss his personal life with his boss though, so he changed the topic and went back to business.

-Here's that CIA report you wanted-

Renee nodded but didn't take the report.

-Thanks, but I'll read it later. Now I should talk to the president-

Saying that, she walked away and headed to the Oval Office. Once she reached it, she opened the door and walked in.

Allison was in a meeting with some men from the defense department, but she appreciated the interruption because the meeting was not being productive. The men just wanted her to back down on her own initiative to stop nuclear proliferation. They wanted her to augment, rather than reduce, the number of nuclear weapons in possession of the US.

-Renee- Allison greeted.

-I can come back later, ma'am- Renee told her.

-It's okay- The president assured her and stood up, which prompted the men to do the same. -We are done here, gentlemen- she said with a severe tone.

-Thank you, Madam President- one of the men said. Then he addressed Renee with a nod. – Ms. Walker-

Renee nodded back as a greeting. Then the men left the office and the two women were left alone and took a seat in the large cream-colored couch.

-Ma'am, Jack is sick- Renee informed trying her best to sound cold.

-What happened?- the president asked widening her baby blue eyes in surprise.

-He had a hypertensive crisis- Renee explained.

Allison sunk in the couch as she absorbed the information.

-Is doctor Welton with him?-

-No. He's in Paris- Renee said. She sighed with resignation.- Dr. Charlie Altman is with him-

Allison nodded, apparently satisfied.

-I know Dr. Altman- the president said.- I had a cardio check up with her the other day- She raised her eyebrows thinking "And what a character she is"- she's perky-

The president stood up and headed behind her desk. She then pressed a button in her intercom to talk to her assistant.

-Susan, I need to talk to Dr. Altman-

-I'll patch her through- Susan said promptly.

Soon, Charlotte was on the phone with the president. Allison put her on the speaker and leaned with her hands on her desk as she spoke.

-Dr. Altman-

-Madam President- Charlotte greeted back. She was sitting behind her own desk, as she got the paperwork ready to transfer Jack to the hospital.

-I heard about Jack Bauer-

-Yes?-

-I trust you're taking good care of him- Allison said with a very serious tone and then looked at Renee, who gave her an expectant look.

-Of course, ma'am- Charlotte assured her firmly- He's being transferred to MedStar Washington Hospital Center for further tests as we speak-

-Are you going with him?- the president asked.

Charlotte didn't say anything at first. She looked completely thrown aback.

-I…- the doctor began explaining and cleared her throat- I didn't see the need, ma'am-

-Please, go with him- the president ordered and took a seat behind the desk. – Supervise things in MedStart- She rested her elbows on the desk and a hand on top of the other- Jack is not only one of my most trusted advisors. He's also a close friend and someone who saved my life-

-I'll make sure he gets the best treatment, madam president- Charlotte promised solemnly.

The president and Renee exchanged a worried look.

-Thank you- the president finally said and disconnected the call. Renee gave Allison a small smile. Then the president decided to move on to another topic—So, about Leo Craig-

-He's still in surgery-

-I see- the president leaned back thoughtfully- have you found the evidence he claimed to have?-

-Not yet- Renee admitted and bit her lower lip and looked down.- That's strange-

-You think he's lying?- the president asked with a suspicious look.

-I can assure he isn't- Renee stated firmly and shook her head- Ma'am, I realize that Leo killed four people, hurt federal agents and scaped custody. But if the evidence against Suvarov is found, maybe, we could try to get a short sentence for Leo-

-The president doesn't decide the sentences, Renee- the president reminded her gently and gave her a compassionate look. She knew Renee and Leo were close.

-I know. I know. But if you could talk with the prosecution…-

-I'll do my best- Allison promised with a nod.

**08. 24.02 – 08.24.03 – 08.24.04- 08.24. 05 PM**

**Capitol Building**

Brendan Marson parked his dark green BMW two blocks away from the US. Capitol Building. He got out of the vehicle along with his son, Nolan. Three of Brendan's henchmen, Brigham, Mason and Drake also got out of the car. They were all dressed up as police officers.

Three Russian gangsters, Andrian Jacobi and Paul and Andrew Gecelovsky, were waiting for them. They were also dressed as police officers. Andrian, Andrew and Paul approached the other men with serious looks on their faces.

-My father said you needed help- Andrian told them.

-That's right- Brendan confirmed with one nod- We have already lost two men in this war-

He was talking about Chad, shot by Leo an hour before, and Ross Kinkaid.

-Tragic- Andrian commented, with a hint of mockery in his tone. He truly couldn't care less about Brendan's men. Andrian only cared about his own. –We lost four-

-But the next casualties, I assure you, will be from the enemy's side- Brendan announced in his typical theatrical manner. He lifted a finger for extra emphasis.

-I hope so- Andrian said.

Brendan then addressed the two identical twins

.

-You must be the Gecelovsky brothers- Brendan speculated. He then took two white pills from his own pocket and swallowed them without even drinking water.

Those pills were vicodins. Brendan had needed the painkillers after hurting himself in a failed attempt to kill Victor Drazen in the late 90's. He was now addicted to the medication.

-Yes. I'm Paul. He's Andy-

The men shook hands. Brendan was impressed. It was impossible to tell which one was Paul and which one was Andrew.

Andrian was getting a little impatient.

-We should get going- Andrian said and looked at his watch.

-All right- Brendan agreed rapidly- Operation Infinite Chaos begins-

They all took barely five seconds to exchange grave looks and ponder silently about the importance of their mission.

-let's go- Andrian commanded.

-You people go ahead- Brendan said as he took his cellphone from his pocket. – I have to call Brooke-

They all left and Brendan sent Brooke a text message that said "Call me ASAP".

As he waited for the call, he took a cigarette and lighted it. While he was smoking, a secret service agent called Harvey White spotted him.

-Officer, I'm Secret Service. May I see your ID?- Harvey asked politely, flashing a badge.

-Of course- Brendan said with a smile and showed him a fake ID. -I'm Sergeant Luke Hanson-

Harvey nodded in acknowledgement. Then he checked on his I-pad and saw that Luke Hanson was indeed authorised to work in the capitol.

-I see everything is in order – he said. Then he looked at the cigarette the other man was holding. –Would you mind sharing? I've been inside the building all day and I couldn't even smoke one-

Brendan _did_ mind. He was about to get a call from Brooke and he didn't want to talk to her with the agent by his side. But he didn't have a choice.

-Of course, not- Brendan said with a fake smile and handed Harvey a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

-Thanks- Harvey said while happily lighting a cigarette.

Both men smoked for a moment and then the ringtone of Brendan's cellphone was heard. Brendan looked at the caller ID screen and saw that it was Brooke. He promptly took the call. He couldn't walk away from the agents to take the call because it would have looked suspicious.

-Brooke-

-Martin- Brooke greeted him back using another alias of Brendan. –What do you need?-

-I wanted to know how everything went with J.B.-

There was a long pause. Brendan took a drag of his cigarette.

-Not so well-Brooke finally admitted with embarrassment.- What I gave him didn't work as we wanted. It only made him have a hypertensive crisis-

-What?-

-I must have miscalculated the doze-

-Damn it, Brooke- Brendan yelled, hitting his vehicle. Harvey startled and gave him a confused look.

-Look, he's too sick to go to the capitol so he won't see Mandy. - Brooke pointed out staring at her finger nails. Then she shrugged- That was the whole point anyway-

-I think you did it wrong on purpose cause you want him all for yourself when his girlfriend is no longer around- Brendan accused her with a frown.

Brooke straightened her back. Her whole body tensed.

-I will not dignify that with an answer- She said and hung up the phone.

Brendan puffed and shook his head. He then looked at Harvey awkwardly.

-Women- Brendan said as he shrugged- Who knows what they want? Right?- Brendan asked rhetorically to pretend she was just having problems with a woman.

Harvey let out a soft chuckle.

-Not me- the Secret Service agent said shaking his head.

Both men went back to smoking in silence.

**08. 28.24 – 08.28.25 – 08.28.26- 08.28. 27 PM**

Director Nathan O'Malley was still inside the capitol building. He headed rapidly to the room where the Secret Service had set up a base for their operations. In the room, there were a bunch of Secret Service Intelligence Analysts working in their desks. There were also several TV screens showing footage from the security cameras that were all around the capitol.

Nathan approached the head analyst called Dexter Brewer, an attractive man in his early forties with short brown curls and hazel eyes. Dexter was a computer genius.

-Dexter- Nathan greeted with a deadly serious expression. – Did the FBI send you the footage from their security cameras?-

-Yes, sir- Dexter answered. He used a finger to accommodate correctly his thick glasses, which had slid slightly down his nose.

-What does it show?- Nathan asked and folded his arms.

Dexter answered by showing Nathan images of Ross Kinkaid sitting inside the interrogation room all by himself. There was then an abrupt cut on the video and the next image that appeared on the screen was Ross Kinkaid dead on the floor.

-So someone deleted the images- Nathan said, stating the obvious. He bit his lower lip and pondered silently about the situation. –Can you recover them?-

-I would have to access their servers from the FBI headquarters-

-I see- Nathan nodded and made a short pause to think about it. – You can go after the speech. We need you here right now-

-You want me to send someone else?- Dexter suggested. He accommodated his glasses once again.

-Nah- Nathan replied shaking his head- I'll feel better if you do it-

-All right- Dexter agreed in an instant while nodding his head.

_Dexter went back to monitoring the security cameras set in the capitol. _

_At that moment, Jack was still in the ambulance. _

_Right then, Charlotte was driving her own car, heading to MedStar Hospital Center as the president had ordered. _

_Meanwhile, Brendan put off the cigarette and entered the capitol._

**08. 30.05 – 08.30.06 – 08.30.07- 08.30.08 PM**

**08. 34.09 – 08.34.10 – 08.34.11- 08.34.12 PM**

_Jack's ambulance arrived to MedStar Hospital Center. _

_In the interim, Renee was in her office reading the CIA report._

_At that moment, Nathan was giving instructions to other agents._

_Right then, Brendan was checking a hallway that led to the main chamber of the capitol._

The hallway was long. It had benches and was decorated with different portraits. By the door, there were two secret service agents posted in their places. One was a cute twenty five year old woman, the other was a thin and tall thirty two year old woman. Brendan approached them and introduced himself using his alias.

-Good evening, agents. I'm Sergeant Luke Hanson- he said as flashing a fake badge.- I was assigned to this hallway.

-I'm Agent Banning- the woman called Tara Banning introduced herself with a warm smile.

-And I'm Agent Janssen- the male agent named Dominic Janssen said.

-So… Have you gotten a lot of threats?- Brendan asked casually.

-Don't we always?- Tara asked rhetorically shaking her head.

-But the ones who actually do the attacks never give you a warning- Dominic stated.

-No. They don't- Brendan affirmed.

Meanwhile, Nolan Marson was in a different hallway that was located on the other side of the main chamber. He spotted two secret service agents, a black twenty six year old man and white twenty seven year old man with red hair and blue eyes. Nolan approached them and introduced himself giving an alias.

-Hello. I'm officer Gus Morris- he lied and showed them a fake ID.

- I'm Agent Christensen- the white agent, called Davis Christensen, said.

-I'm Agent Blane- the black agent, called Darius Blane, said with a nod.

-Has this hallway been cleared?- Nolan asked trying to sound casual.

-Yes. It has- Davis answered.

-Good- Nolan approved with a nod and a small smile.

**08. 35.51 – 08.35.52 – 08.35.53- 08.35.54 PM**

**The White House - Renee's office**

Renee was sitting on a couch in her office while working when Erik walked in with an announcement.

-Ms. Walker, Agent O'Malley needs to talk to you. He's on line one-

-Thank you- Renee instantly went to stand behind her desk and picked up the receiver. Nathan O'Malley was already on the other side of the line. –Nate-

-Ms. Walker- Nathan greeted back.

-You wanted to talk to me?- Renee asked while taking a seat behind the desk.

-Yeah. I'm afraid I don't have good news- He cleared his throat.- Ross Kinkaid was killed while in FBI custody-

-What?- Renee exclaimed and then frowned with anger.- How?-

-Someone injected him something and then cut his wrists to make it look like a suicide- Nathan explained while taking a worried look at his surroundings. He was in the main chamber of the capitol. He wanted to make sure the state of the union went without incidents.

-How could that happen, Nate?- Renee asked, still in disbelief.

-Apparently the FBI has a mole- Nathan told her.

Renee wasn't even surprised.

-Of course they have a mole- she puffed and shook her head as if saying "typical". – How do you think we should handle it?-

-I think I should keep agents Mcallister and Weathers in the FBI headquarters to supervise things- He nodded and bit his lower lip feeling satisfied with his own idea. – And I'll send them reinforces after the speech-

-All right- Renee agreed.

-Should we inform Jeffrey Teller?- Nathan asked.

-No- Renee answered firmly shaking her head- We don't want the mole to know we are onto him or her. Besides, Jeffrey himself could be the mole-

-You don't trust him?-

There was a pause as Renee thought about it.

-I used to- She admitted and leaned back against the back of her chair with defeat- But then I met people like Tony Almeida and Dana Walsh… I guess I lost my ability to trust-

-That's understandable- Nathan told her with genuine sympathy.

Then Erik Pratt entered Renee's office with an announcement to make.

-Ma'am, Mrs. Carmichael is here-

-Okay, send her in- Renee requested and Erik went to do as told. She then addressed Nathan again- Sorry Nate. I've got to go-

-Okay. I'll keep you posted- he promised.

-Please. Do- Renee said and then disconnected the call.

Then Ruth Carmichael entered the chief of staff's office with a folder in her hands. Renee was glad to see her.

-Mrs. Carmichael, you got the information for me?- She asked anxiously.

-Here it is- Ruth said handing her the folder with the information as she told Renee what she found out. -Dr. Altman is 41 years old, from Alabama- Ruth took a seat in a chair across from Renee- She's a certified cardio-thoracic surgeon. Never got married but had a daughter recently, through artificial insemination-

-Where did she study?- Renee asked while checking out the file.

-Troy University, in Alabama and the University of Alabama School of Medicine- Ruth answered.

Renee wrinkled her nose as if she smelled a bad odor.

-Not Harvard or John Hopkins?- she asked with obvious disapproval, keeping her eyes on the file.

Ruth thought to herself that Renee was being snobbish. Renee had graduated from Princeton and Columbia, so Ruth thought she was an Ivy snob. But the 60 year old assistant was too polite to say anything.

-No- she answered keeping a neutral tone. She herself hadn't attended a fancy university either. She had graduated from CUNY with a mayor in English-She completed her surgical residency at George Washington University Medical Center and her fellowship at the Mayo Clinic-

Renee was then very impressed and looked at Ruth. Mayo Clinic was one of the most prestigious medical centers in the United States.

-In Minnesota?- she asked with admiration in her tone.

-No. The one in Florida- Ruth replied. She then accommodated her thick glasses that had slid down her prominent nose.

Renee was then disappointed again and wrinkled her nose once more. The Mayo Clinic in Florida was just average, not nearly as impressive as the one in Minnesota.

-Has she published anything?- Renee asked crossing her arms.

-No- Ruth answered shaking her head. -She lived in Iraq working with soldierssince 2001. She couldn't publish anything- She explained. Renee then looked impressed-She enlisted after her sister, Rose, died on 9-11, in the first plane-

Renee leaned back feeling shocked.

-So, the rose in her coat is about her sister- Renee deduced.

-I guess-

Renee now felt like crap for havingunderestimated the doctor before. Charlie Altman was clearly a very brave woman who had served her country and had suffered a terrible loss.

-Okay, I'm a bitch-

-I don't think so, ma'am- Ruth said candidly with a motherly smile.

-I'm surprised that she seems so perky after what she went through- Renee commented.

After losing Jimmy and going through the undercover mission she had become dark and cold. But Charlotte hadn't turned like that after losing a sister and serving in Iraq. Late Elizabeth had also remained perky and sweet in spite of having a hard life. Renee admired then for that.

-Actually- Ruth said lifting a finger for emphasis. -They did a study that proves that the circumstances don't have as much influence in the personality as one would think- Renee looked at Ruth intensively and clearly interested, so the older woman elaborated her point. -They studied a group of people that became paralyzed after an accident- she lifted her left hand as if to say "on one hand" –and a group of people who won the lottery- she lifted her right hand like saying "on the other hand"- The hypothesis was that one situation would make the person bitter and the other one happy- She then rested her hands on the desk while Renee nodded, listening with interest. -But they discovered that nobody really changes. Those who were happy people before the accident went back to being happy after a while, and those who were miserable before winning the lottery kept being miserable- She lifted her shoulders in resignation- except that now they're miserable in mansions-

Renee chucked and nodded as the information sank in.

-Which means I will always be dark and twisted no matter what- Renee concluded.

And it could also mean that Jack would always be reckless and irresponsible, regardless of his circumstances.

Ruth opened her mouth to say something, until she realized she didn't know what to say. Maybe she had screwed up by talking about the study. Her son Lonny, a successful psychiatrist, had shared it with her.

-Uh…- Ruth scratched her neck uncomfortably.

Renee then gave her a tiny reassuring smile.

-It's okay, Mrs. Carmichael. Thank you-

That was the cue for Ruth to leave, so the assistant walked out of the office quickly after giving Renee a nod.

**08.40.02 – 08.40.03 – 08.40.04 – 08.40.05 PM**

In the residence, Allison and her husband Ethan were in the presidential bedroom. Allison was wearing a navy blue skirt suit and had a lovely pink silk scarf around her neck. At that moment she was putting on her earrings. Ethan was sitting on the edge of their bed, giving her speech one final look.

-Honey-Ethan stood up and showed her a part of the speech.- Here it says that the country is stranger than it was three years ago-

-It's supposed to say stronger- the president explained as she finished putting up the earrings.

-It's true either way- Ethan pointed out, only half-kidding.

Allison had been told that Renee had said the same thing.

-Renee made that joke too- she said and gave her husband a smile. -The staff corrected that in the copy they'll put in the teleprompter-

She then got a bit closer to him and straightened the purple tie he was wearing.

-I hope so- Ethan said, now being very serious.

Then he helped Allison put on her favourite silver bracelet, which her father had given her when she won back his senate seat in 1998. After that, he gave her a sweet kiss on the lips and held lovingly her hand.

-I'm with you, Allison- he assured her to giver support and encouragement as always.

-I know- She said and caressed his cheek.

There was a knock on the door. Ethan went to openthe door. It was Agent Oliver Hobson, one of the agents on Allison's detail. Oliver had chartreuse-green eyes and was beginning to lose his brown hair above both temples and his hair is thinner at the crown of the head.

-Ma'am, Mr. kanin, Bamboo is ready- he announced. Bamboo was the code name of the president's motorcade.

The president and Ethan acknowledged this with a nod and left the bedroom holding hands. Oliver and other agents followed suit.

-Liberty and Lancelot heading to bamboo- Oliver announced to other agents through his cuff mic.

The first couple and the agents left the residential part of the White House.

-Oliver, how's your baby doing?- Allison asked her agent as they walked.

-He cries a lot- Oliver commented. –But he's great-

-May I see a picture?- the president asked hopefully.

-Of course, ma'am- Oliver took his cellphone and showed the president a photo of a baby who was two weeks old. In the photo, the baby was having his first bath.

-So adorable- the president smiled. – What's his name?- She asked as they now walked through the South Lawn.

-Tate. But I call him Tato because his head looks like a potato- he said, making the president chuckle.

-Roger's head looked like a pear- Allison said then getting a bit melancholic.

The president and her agent shared a chuckle and Oliver put the cellphone away.

They finally arrived to the Oval Office. Inside of the office they saw Laura Torrence, a black woman in her late fifties who was the secretary of energy. She was there with two agents, since nobody but Allison, Ethan and Renee was allowed to be in the Oval Office alone.

Laura had been chosen as "designated survivor". The designated survivor was a person from the presidential line of succession chosen to stay safely at an undisclosed location, just in case a catastrophe hit the capitol killing everyone inside. A designated survivor was always chosen for inauguration day and the state of the union speech because during those events all members of the presidential line of succession were to be at the same place at the same time. This time, the safe place for the designated survivor was the White House, but that wasn't always the case.

Laura was sitting on a couch but stood up promptly when the president walked in.

-Madam President, Ethan- she greeted them both with a nod.

-Hello, Laura- Allison greeted back with a warm smile. –Thank you for doing this for us-

-I bet I won't have to do anything, ma'am- Laura stated with a warm tone and smile.

-I've got you a little something. Just in case- Allison told her, surprising the hell out of Laura.

Allison went behind her desk and got a pocket copy of the constitution. She wrote something on the first page and handed it to Laura.

-So you can always have it with you- the president said.

-Thank you, ma'am- Laura said and then read what the president had written. "Make me proud. President Allison Taylor". Laura smiled.-Thank you-

Allison took the book for a moment to show Laura something.

-Read this paragraph- she requested, pointing at a particular part of the constitution.

Laura was happy to please.

-"He shall, from time to time, give to the Congress information of the state of the union and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient"-

-I'd like to change that to "He or she"- Allison told her.

-If something happens, I'll do it- Laura promised solemnly. – But I bet you'll get to change it yourself-

Allison and Laura exchanged a smile.

-I've got to go now- Allison said looking at the time in her wristwatch.

-Good luck, Madam President- Laura said candidly.

The president, Ethan and five agents left the office. In the outer part of the office, there was a large group of staffers gathered to see the president and wish her good luck. Among the staffers were Renee; Cal Coleman, Communications Director; and his deputy Lynnette Lockhart. There was also the press secretary Angie Nelson. Patrick Birdsall and Susan Murray, two of the president's assistants, were there as well.

The president decided to give a little speech.

-May I have your attention, please?- Allison requested and, naturally, everybody listened to her attentively. – For the past three months, a great number of people have worked very hard on the speech I'll be giving tonight. It's an amazing speech and I'm very proud of my team- She put a hand on her chest and nodded-I'm particularly proud of Cal Coleman and Lynnette Lockhart. I'm sure they haven't slept since December- That comment was received with chuckles. Cal nodded as saying "definitely". – So, let's give those two the applause they deserve-

The room erupted in applause and cheers. The president patted Cal on the shoulder and then squeezed Lynnette's hand as they exchanged a smile. The Communications Director and his deputy were the main architects of the speech. The State of the Union address was their baby even though the president, Renee, Angie and George Sullivan had worked really hard on it too.

Allison, Renee, Angie, Ethan, Patrick, Susan, Lynnette and Caldwell, along with some Secret Service agents, started walking towards the motorcade.

-Where are we on the Moss-Buchanan bill?- Allison asked Renee while they all walked.

-Last head count said 35 are in favor, 40 are against and 25 are undecided. 15 of them leaning towards "no"-

-But those numbers are likely to change if I agree to ban the use of Hyroxide-Pentoral, right?- Allison asked and gave her Chief of staff a look.

-That's what we think- Renee said with a nod- We'll get Conway, Rawlins, Woo and O'Hara. And we might get Wilcox and Goddard as well-

They arrived to the main entrance of the White House, where the presidential motorcade was waiting for the president. The motorcade included two limousines, several cars and motorcycles for the agents and an ambulance.

Ethan, Allison, Patrick, Renee and Caldwell got into one of the limousines while Susan, Angie and Lynnette got into the other one.

-Let's go- the president ordered the driver of the limousine.

_The presidential motorcade began making its way to the capitol. _

_Meanwhile, Laura Torrence was sitting on a couch inside the Oval Office watching the news. _

_At the same time, Nathan was supervising carefully the work of other agents. _

_Then a doctor was checking on Jack. _

**08.45.55 – 08.45.56 – 08.45.57 – 08.45.58 PM **

**08.50.07 – 08.50.08 – 08.50.09 – 08.50.10 PM**

_Jack was in MedStar Hospital having a full-body scan. _

_Right then, the president was reading something in her limousine as the motorcade took her to the capitol. _

_In the interim, Dexter was trying to recover the footage from the FBI security camera. _

_At that moment, Dale Reynolds was by himself in his office, sitting behind her desk._

Dale looked around nervously around and checked that he was indeed alone in the office he shared with Tim Moran. He then took a memory card and introduced it in his cellphone. It was the memory card found in Leon Craig's cellphone. Dale checked the information in the memory card and eventually got to a video. He pressed play and watched in attentively.

_Yuri Suvarov walked into an office with a very serious expression. "What happened?", he asked dryly in Russian without exchanging any pleasantries._

"_Pavel says Mehran and Bazhaev took the money. Everything is going well", Mikhail Novakovich answered, also speaking in Russian. "We'll make CTU believe Hassan's mistress wants to kill him, so they'll be too distracted with her to stop us"_

"_And we have someone inside CTU, right?"_

"_Yes, indeed. Don't worry. Things will turn out allright. Hassan will die, his enemies will possess nuclear weapons and that will kill the peace treaty and give you and the Americans a reason to isolate and bomb Kamistan back to the Stone Age" . Novakovich then gave the other man a glass of Vodka and drank a little from his own._

"_And nobody will say I didn't try to archive peace". Suvarov then drank some vodka, feeling content._

_As Suvarov finished his glass of vodka, Novakovich refilled his own. "That's true, sir"._

"_Did you find out Brooke's real name?"_

"_Yeah… it's…"_

Right then Janis Gold walked into Dale's office. Dale quickly stopped the video.

-What do you need, Janis?- he asked, clearly annoyed.

-I just wanted to tell you that we have the identity of the man Leo killed in Renee's house- Janis explained, visibly irritated by dale's attitude.

-Who is him?- Dale asked rather brusquely, he wanted Janis to get out of his office as soon as possible.

-His name was Chad Artwood. He worked for DCPD until they discovered he stole the drugs confiscated as evidence and sold them- Janis explained and then handed Chad's file to Dale- They say he would have sold his mother for some cash-

- Thank you, Janis- He said as he brusquely took the file. His expression was saying "just go away!"

Janis began making her exit but as she was approaching the door she turned around to say something.

-You know? Maybe if you were nicer to people you'd finally get a date-

Dale truly wanted to throw his coffee mug at Janis, but he didn't.

-Duly noted- he told her sarcastically.

Janis finally left the office. The first thing Dale did once he was alone again was to take the phone to make a call. He dialed a number that was familiar to him. A woman who was sitting on a chair behind her desk took the call.

-Yes?-

-This is Reynolds. I've got news for you- he told her as he leaned back against the back of his chair with a smile of satisfaction.

-What happened?- the woman asked with concern in her voice.

-I found a very interesting video among Leon Craig's stuff-he said.- It's very interesting.

-Go to the point, Agent Reybolds- the woman urged him-What's in the video?-

-Suvarov and Novakovich can be seen talking about how there are going to have Omar Hassan killed in order to kill the peace agreement-

-That's impossible!-the woman said not truly believing what she was hearing-They were extremely careful. They wouldn't have gotten caught in video-

-If you don't believe me, I can send it to a reporter and you'd see it yourself on the news-

She straightened her back, feeling alarmed.

-Send it to me-She ordered.

-You think I'm stupid?- Dale asked offended- This way I've got the only copy-

-What do you want?-the woman asked with defeat even though she could guess the answer.

-I think you know. Wire the money to my account-

-And you'll destroy the video?-

-Destroy it?- Dale chuckled then he got very serious- I'm gonna keep it as an insurance. If something happens to me the world will see it-

-I see-the woman said-I'll make sure you get the money-

-Do that, Brooke- Dale said firmly- Oh, I almost forgot… In the video they also say your real name-

Brooke got then seriously upset and jumped on her feet in shook.

-You son of a bitch!-

Dale didn't need to say anything else so he disconnected the call. Then he took the memory card with the compromising video and put it on an envelope. He also wrote a note that said "If I die, even if it looks like an accident or a suicide, this memory card must get to Renee Walker". He put the note inside the envelope and then put the envelope away. He would put it in a security box as soon as possible.

**-08.54.29 – 08.54.30 – 08.54.31 – 08.54.32 PM **

**Washington DC. - Polling Center**

In a polling center, George Sullivan was there with his 32 year old assistant, Emma Crewson, and Peyton Whitford, White House Media Director. There were also a lot of pollsters who were getting ready to call people to find out what Americans thought of the president's speech. George was extremely nervous.

-Do any of this people have accents?- he asked Payton, while pacing around anxiously.

-Of course not. They're all from the Midwest-the Media Director answered with a reassuring tone.

-I'm just saying that if they…- George began saying.

-Relax, George- Emma told him patting his shoulder.

George took a deep breath. At that moment, he spotted a male pollster chewing gum. He went ballistic.

-Are you chewing gum?- he asked with a mixture of anger and disbelief- What are you thinking? In five minutes- he lifted a hand to show his five fingers-you have to start making calls in the name of the President of the United States! You can't talk to people chewing gum-

The terrified pollster said nothing.

-He knows that George- Emma said, trying to calm him down- The calls haven't started yet. I bet he was planning to throw the gum away before making the calls- She then looked at the pollster- Right?-

The pollster nodded, took the gum from his mouth and threw it on the nearest trash can. Then he left to do his job.

-Shouldn't Rennard be here already?- he asked Payton.

-His flight was delayed- Payton explained with a shrug. - He'll be here soon.

They were talking about Blake Rennard, the architect of the poll. He ran poll operations and often did work for the White House.

-Is he a republican?- Emma asked with curiosity. Blake was a very attractive man and she was interested.

-I think it's very possible that he never voted in his life- George answered, candidly. He then sighed and looked at the clock on the wall- He should be here to give these people instructions-

-George, this people have all done this before- Payton assured him- They know what to do-

-They're not our people- George whined shaking his head- They are Rennard's people- He sighed exasperated- Aren't they supposed to receive special instructions?-

Right then Blake finally made an appearance.

-Hi. I'm sorry I'm late- He took of his jacket and put it carelessly on a chair-My plane had mechanical difficulties-

-This is the State of the Union- George reminded him- You should have done something about it-

-I couldn't- Blake just shrugged casually-I never paid attention during my airplane mechanics class, see?-

-The phone bank will start in ten minutes. They need instructions- George told him.

-Is anybody chewing gum?- Blake yelled out at the crowd of callers.

There was a big "no" coming from the crowd of callers.

-I already took care of the chewing thing- George said to Blake and gave Emma a triumphal expression.

**08.56.29 – 08.56.30 – 08.56.31 – 08.56.32 PM **

**Washington DC. - Capitol Building**

Brendan, Agent Tara Banning and Agent Dominic Janssen were standing in one of the hallways that led to main chamber where President Taylor would give her big speech. There was nobody else in that hallway at the moment, but Brendan knew it'd be used as an emergency exit.

Paul and Andrew Geselovsky walked into the room dressed as police officers and exchanged pointed nods with Brendan.

-We are with DCPD- Paul lied as he showed the Secret service agents a fake ID. Andrew showed a fake ID of his own.

Brendan realized that it was time to act. But he had to make sure. He took his cellphone and sent a text message that said "_Good to go?_"

In the room where secret service had set its base, Dexter was working when his phone made a sound indicating that he had gotten a text message. He read Brendan's message and put the cell phone on the table. He set a loop on the video from the security camera which showed Brendan, Tara and Dominic guarding the hallway. After that, he set another loop on the video from a different the security camera that showed Nolan Marson, Agent Christensen and Agent Blane guarding the other hallway. Nobody would see anything else going on inside those hallways.

Dexter then sent Brendan a message that said "Yes. Good to go". And then deleted the message.

Brendan received the message and sent one that said "Now" to his son, Nolan, and then exchanged looks with Paul and Andrew.

Without giving any warning whatsoever, Paul grabbed Dominic and injected something on his carotid artery while Andrew did the same to Tara. Tara and Stuart fell unconscious instantly.

Paul laid Tara on the ground as his brother did the same with Dominic. Brendan put on some surgical gloves and then put a cellphone in Tara's hand and a different one in her pocket. The first cellphone was set to blow up in six minutes as the second one contained compromising evidence that would link the innocent agent with the explosion. Next he did the same with Dominic.

In the other hallway, Nolan, along with Andrian and Drake, did exactly the same to agents Davis Christensen and Darius Blane.

The beautiful assassin known as Mandy then walked into the hallway where Brendan was. She saw Tara and Dominic unconscious and with cellphones on their hands and realized what had happened.

-I see it's done- she said with satisfaction.

- It is- Brendan said- Now you go do your thing. We'll make sure nobody walks in here before it's time-

Mandy nodded and entered the main chamber of the capitol, where President Taylor would give her speech, posing as a secret service agent. She spotted Nathan O'Malley talking to his own cuff mic.

-Agent Jassen, Agent Christensen? All clear?. Nate asked through the mic.

-All clear, sir- Brendan replied posing as Agent Jassen.

-All clear, sir- Nolan answered posing as Agent Christensen.

Then Nathan saw Mandy and was pleased to see her.

-Agent Kirshner, have you cleared the bathrooms?- he asked.

-Yes, sir- Mandy replied- Now I'm going to check the podium one last time-

-Good idea- Nate approved with a nod- But hurry up. Liberty is three minutes away-

Mandy nodded and headed to the podium. The podium had an interior shelf. Mandy looked around to make sure nobody was looking. She took a small cellphone from her pocket. She got the cellphone set to blow up in five minutes.

Very quickly, she started to leave the capitol.

**08.59.56 – 08.59.57 – 08.59.58 – 08.59.59 PM**

**09.00 PM**


	14. Liberty Is Down

**Author's note:** Thank you very much for the support I get. Specially thanks very much to SithKiller24 for putting this story in the favorite list! It made my day.

I sincerely apologize if you are confused by the amount of agents and white house staffers, but I try to make this story as realistic as I can and, in real life, there are a lot of agents and staffers. You might remember some of the names from Day 7 and Day 8. Like agents Reynolds, Charters, Turner, Hobson and Teller. They didn't have first names on the show, so I had to make them up. Allison's assistant Patrick appeared on day 7, and Susan was Allison's assistant on day 8, but they didn't have last names.

CNB is a fictional network that appeared on 24.

**Clarification:** Paul and Andrew Geselovsky, who appear in this chapter, were actually mentioned in the extra material we got from Operation Hero. They worked for Vladimir six years before Day 8 and were arrested. It's never stated whether they were free by the time Day 8 came or not. It's not said whether they were working for Vladimir on Day 8 or not. It's also never said if they were brothers, cousins, or had any other relation. In my imagination, they are identical twins who left prison sometime after Day 8.

**Disclaimer:** The show's not mine. Neither are the characters. I just own the necklace Elisha Cubert used on season 7, the earrings Cherry Jones used on season 8, Marie Warner's purse and the complete set of DVDs.

**CHAPTER 14:**

"**Liberty is down"**

**Previously: **

Renee and Jack made up after their fight over the situation with Leo.

A mysterious woman who calls herself Brooke put a substance in Jack's coffee. As a result, he had a hypertensive crisis and was taken to MedStar Washington Hospital Center. The president's doctor, Charlotte Altman, is trying to figure out why Jack got sick.

FBI agent Dale Reynolds is a mole. He found a video that showed Suvarov and Novakovich planning to kill Omar Hassan. He hid it and blackmailed Brooke.

Zoe's husband showed up drunk in the White House, so Erik told her to go home. He'll go to the capitol instead of her.

President Taylor is getting ready to give the State of the Union Address.

A group of mercenaries, with the help of Russian gangsters and the assassin known as Mandy, planed an attack on the capitol. The gangsters and the terrorists posed as police officers while Mandy posed as a secret service agent called Melanie kirshner.

Leo was shot in his left leg and right shoulder. He was taken to Sibley Memorial Hospital.

A corrupt agent called Dexter fixed the security cameras in the capitol building so the terrorist don't be seen.

Brendan Marson killed two secret service agents (Tara Banning and Dominic Janssen) and put a bomb in a hallway that led to the main chamber of the capitol. Brendan also planted false evidence so the agents would get blamed for the attack. Meanwhile, Nolan planted a bomb in a different hallway and killed and framed two other agents (Davis Christensen and Darius Blane).

Mandy planted a bomb in the podium where the president would speak.

_The following takes place between 09.00 PM and 10.00 PM, on the day of the State of the Union Address_.

**January 29th 2019 – Wednesday**

**Washington DC. – Zoe and Todd Forrest's appartment**

**09.02.16 PM **

Zoe was sitting on a couch watching the news on TV. She was very interested in watching the state of the union address. Her husband, on the other hand, was drinking and playing computer games.

On the TV, a male news anchor was talking to his audience.

"Welcome, this is Everett Winlock"

"And I'm Marsha Tomlin", his colleague added. "This is a special edition of CNB Night News".

"In approximately five minutes President Taylor will give the state of the Union Address", Everett announced. "The president seems to be slightly behind schedule. They must be polishing the speech"

"This is definitely one of the most important speeches of President Taylor's political life", Marsha commented. "Her approval ratings have dropped twenty points since the events of last May. The white House is hoping to get her numbers up with this speech"

Everett was told something through his com devise.

"Now we'll go with Kevin Albridge, reporting from the Capitol", he said. The TV screen split showing Everett on the right and Kevin on the left. "Tell me Kevin… do we know the reason why President Taylor is late for the speech?".

"Nothing is said about that", Kevin said. "But I understand that Cal Coleman and Lynnette Lockhart have been doing some last minute changes to the speech"

"Any idea what those changes are about?", Marsha asked.

Kevin nodded. "The most significant one is that the President will announce that The Moss-Buchanan Advanced Patriot Act, will be introduced in congress for consideration. But it'll be introduced with a change. Now the bill specifically forbids the use of Hyroxine Pentoral".

At that moment, someone said something to Everett through the com devise he had in his ear. So he had to interrupt Kevin.

"I'm sorry, Kevin. They tell me President Taylor has arrived to the capitol right now. We'll be with you later"

Kevin nodded. Everett then addressed the audience.

"Now we'll be showing you the state of the union address live and commenting it as it develops"

**09.03.44 – 09.03.45 – 09.03.46 - 09.03.47 PM **

**Capitol Building**

The presidential motorcade arrived to the capitol. They were received by the Director of secret service White House Operator, Nathan O'Malley, and his second in command, Jerry Bradshaw. Ethan, Allison, her assistant Patrick, Renee and Caldwell emerged from one of the limousines, while Angie Nelson Lynnette Lockhart and Susan, another assistant to the president, came out from the other one.

"Good Luck, my darling", Ethan whispered in Allison's ear. Then he gave her a kiss on the lips and rushed inside the capitol to take his place in the main chamber.

"Good luck, ma'am", Angie said. Allison gave her a smile and squeezed affectionately her hand. Angie smiled back and left quickly to take her place. The press secretary, naturally, had to be in the press area of the building. She and Ethan walked very fast to get to the main chamber before the president.

"You'll be amazing, Madam President", Renee said to Allison with her lips slightly curbed up in a smile.

Allison smiled back. "Thank you"

Renee then hurried to catch up with Ethan, since she had to sit next to him. They were followed promptly by two of Ethan's secret service agents: Hoyt Pulley and Dustin Hayes.

"Let's all try to breathe regular", Ethan said as they walked towards their places.

He had noticed Renee was really nervous. It was her first State of the Union Address as Chief of Staff and she was still learning about how everything worked. They finally reached the First Gentleman's box.

Secret Service agents, Arizona Rush and Garrick Adamson were already there, having come a little bit earlier for a security check. They were in charge of Renee's safety due the earlier attempt on her life.

Muriel Hayworth, the Vice President's wife, was also there, along with their oldest daughter Aspen. Aspen was a bright woman in her early 20's who worked for her father and was extremely interested in politics. The Hayworths's youngest daughter, Amber, had chosen to stay home. The women were naturally being protected by their own secret service agents.

They all exchanged greetings and smiles.

Then Ethan greeted the other eleven people in his private box. Those people had been chosen by Ethan to sit with him because of their achievements. For instance, Dr. Sunny Meyer, who had discovered the cure for brain-degenerative diseases and an American writer who had won the Literature Novel Prize.

They all took their seats, except the agents, who stood discretely behind.

Renee whispered to herself: "Just breathe regular".

**09.05.02 – 09.05.03 – 09.05.04 - 09.05.05 PM **

Allison, Caldwell, Lynnette and Susan were inside the building heading to the main entrance of the main chamber. As they walked, Caldwell read part of the speech.

"Those of us in the future will demand boldly putting aside our partisan..."

"...blunders and abandoning our ideological entrenchment", Lynnette read right after her boss. "Those of us in the future will demand boldly putting aside our partisan blinders and abandoning our ideological entrenchment".

"Yeah", Caldwell approved with a nod.

Then they shared a meaningful look. They had finally finished the speech.

"That's it", Lynnette said.

"Phone it to the Prompter", Caldwell said.

Lynnette then left to do just that.

Caldwell handed Allison the speech in a leather portfolio.

"Knock then dead, Madam", Caldwell said.

They continued walking down the hallway to the main chamber. At the entrance to the chamber, an elderly gentleman called Samuel Finney.

"Madam", Samuel greeted with a nod.

Allison nodded back. Then she bowed her head and linked her hands together to pray silently. One she finished, she addressed Samuel.

"Mr. Finney, would you tell the Speaker I'm here, please?", she requested solemnly.

Samuel nodded and entered the chamber. He announced very loudly:

"Mr. Speaker… the president of the United States"

Everyone inside the chamber applauded vigorously as Allison entered the chamber, with only Nathan and Jerry following her. The president smiled and shook a few hands on her way to the podium that was on a wooden platform. She shook hands with Darren Berger, the President pro-tempore of the senate.

"Good luck, madam", he said with a grin.

The Speaker of the House, Stuart Forbes, also greeted the president politely.

"Welcome to the capitol, Madam President", he told her.

They shook hands rather awkwardly because Stuart was against everything Allison supported.

"Thank you", Allison replied with a nod.

Stuart took his seat on a chair that was on the podium, behind the president's chair, over her left shoulder. Vice President Mitchell Hayworth greeted Allison as well and took his seat next to Speaker Forbes, at his right.

Nathan and Jerry stood discretely next to Hayworth and Forbes. Secret Service had never stood in the platform with the podium during the State of the Union address, until the death of Wayne Palmer. The world was more dangerous than ever. Agent Oliver Hobson and his partner Wallace Hoskins were also nearby, but not on the platform.

Allison stood behind the podium and, with a smile, gestured for the applauses to stop. After a while the applauses subsided.

The president began her speech with passion.

"Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, fellow citizens…"

She didn't get to say another word.

Nathan noticed the cellphone in the podium's inner shelf and widened his eyes horrified. But he didn't have the chance to do anything.

Allison, Mitchell, Stuart, Nathan and Jerry were pushed back by the blast. They fell to the ground on their backs.

A big ball of fire devoured the platform and the podium.

There was panic and yelling all around. Chaos reigned. People desperately tried to run towards the exits in an unorganized fashion.

Nathan rushed immediately to the president's side. Allison was lying on the floor unconscious with burns on her face and hands. Her clothes had caught fire, so Jerry and Nathan promptly rushed to her side to put it off.

"Code black!", Nathan yelled to the com devise he had in his wrist. "Liberty is down! I repeat… liberty is down!"

Agents Trevor Montgomery and Tyler Ingleton rushed quickly towards the vice president. Hayworth had only minor burns and a bump on the head. The agents rushed to take it to safety.

"I've got Swordsman", Tyler announced to his cuff mic. "Is exit B cleared?"

"It is", another agent told him.

At the same time, Ethan was trying to rush to Allison's side but agents Pulley and Hayes were restraining him.

"No! Allison! Allison!", Ethan yelled desperately.

"Sir, you need to come with us!", Agent Pulley told him firmly. Then he announced to his cuff mic: "We've got Lancelot. We're heading to exit A"

The agents grabbed Ethan by both arms and took him to the main exit as he protested in vain.

Meanwhile, Arizona and Garrick were restraining Renee. The agents wanted to take her to an exit soon because the building was quickly filling up with smoke.

"Let me go! Let me go!", Renee screamed as she tried to get released from their hold.

Muriel and Aspen were taken soon to exit C by their own Secret Service agents, Agent Daniel Hall and Agent Vince Cranston.

"We have Star and Sunshine", agent Cranston announced to his cuff mic. "Heading to exit C"

The agents opened the door to the hallway that led to exit C and were shocked by what their saw. They saw agents Tara Banning and Dominic Janssen dead on the floor.

Before Muriel and Aspen's agents could do anything, the cellphones in Tara and Dominic's body exploded.

While that happened, agents Trevor Montgomery and Tyler Ingleton, along with agents Cody Gillette and Colin McGrath, were taking the Vice President, the Chief justice of the Supreme Court, the majority leader of the senate and majority leader of the house to exit B. They reached the door that led to the hallway. Trevor and Cody entered first to clear it. They saw agents Davis Christensen and Darius Blane dead on the floor. Soon, the cellphones on Davis and Christensen blew up.

The two secondary explosions in exits B and C generated even more panic.

Renee grew more desperate. She hit her two agents and ran towards Allison. Arizona and Garrick chased her.

Suddenly, huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling fell over Arizona. Renee stopped. She and Garrick ran toward Arizona but soon noticed that Arizona had died. Garrick was devastated but kept doing his job. Instantly, he grabbed Renee, scooped her up against her will and carried her to the main exit while she protested.

"Please! Let me see the president!", she begged.

"She's being taken outside too. You can see her there", Garrick told her and carried her to safety. "I've got Ruby", he then announced to his cuff mic.

**09.09.58 – 09.09.59 – 09.09.00 - 09.09.01 PM **

In the TV station, everybody was stunned. They had seen a blast, the smoke filling the building and people running desperately to safety. But then the camera they had in the capitol fell and stopped working.

Marsha and Everett were astonished.

"Oh, my God!", Marsha exclaimed while covering her mouth with her hand in horror.

In the control room, everybody was just as stunned and trying to find out what happened.

"Go to commercials!", a male producer called Wade Harris shouted. They needed to regroup.

They went abruptly to commercials.

"I don't believe this", commented Marsha, about to cry.

"What the hell happened?!", Everett yelled loudly.

"There was an explosion", Wade said, stating the one thing everybody knew at that point.

"Really?!", Everett asked sarcastically.

A moment later a female producer showed up visibly agitated.

"I've got Kevin on the phone", she announced. "The camera is broken because of the explosion".

"Okay, Everett, Marsha…", Wade, also clearly disturbed, said to his anchors. "Kevin is on the phone. You'll guys go live now".

"All right", Marsha agreed blinking rapidly.

"Five… four… three…two… one…", Wade counted back. "Go!"

Everett started taking to the audience sounding deadly serious.

"The unthinkable has happened. There was an explosion in the capitol when President Taylor was starting to give the State of the Union Address. We have on the phone our colleague Kevin Abridge who is there", then he addressed Kevin. "Kevin, what happened there?"

Kevin was visibly shaken up.

"Well…", he began talking and scratched the back of his head nervously. "The president started giving the speech, but she barely got a few words in", he explained babbling really fast. "Suddenly, a bomb that was on the podium exploded. And, while the building was being evacuated, two more bombs exploded in two of the exits"..

"How is the president?", Marsha asked, not hiding her emotions. Her eyes were watery.

"Nobody will tell us", Kevin answered with frustration in his voice. "People saw secret service putting her in an ambulance. But nobody can tell whether she's alive or not".

"And the vice president?", Everett asked. He managed to remain calm.

"He was last being taken to an ambulance too. But he didn't seem badly hurt"

"Is anybody dead?", Marsha asked.

"We don't know", Kevin admitted.

"Do we know who did it?", Everett asked.

"Not a clue", kevin replied, shaking his head. "Right now all we know is that three bombs exploded in the capitol. I'll try to get more information as soon as possible"

"Please, Kevin. We'll be waiting for you", Everett said. He looked down and then back to his audience. "As you can see, at this moment we have very little information about the despicable attack on the capitol. But I do know this… Marsha and I will be with you through this whole crisis. We'll give you all the information we get as soon as we get it"

**09.10.35 – 09.10.36 – 09.10.37 - 09.10.38 PM **

**Zoe's house**

Zoe and Todd were watching the news and felt horrified.

"Holly shit!", Todd exclaimed in profound disbelief.

Zoe's eyes got teary. She was terrified. What if the president, Renee or Erik were dead? Maybe all of them had perished.

"I have to go there", she said, as she started gathering her things.

Todd was puzzled.

"To do what? There's nothing you can do"

"Renee might need me"

"Oh, for God's sake!", Todd exclaimed with frustration.

"And I have to see Erik, Todd"

"He's not your husband!", Todd yelled suddenly infuriated.

Zoe thought, but wisely didn't say, that Erik was her work-husband. There was also a feeling of guilt consuming the young woman.

"But it's my fault that he was at the capitol. If he's dead that's on me", she said and a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

"If you leave this house you'll regret it!" Todd threatened.

But Zoe left anyway, walking very fast.

"Damn it!", Todd yelled and hit a wall harshly.

_Then he sat on the couch to continue watching the news._

_Meanwhile, Zoe got into her car. _

_At the same time, an ambulance was taking Allison to the hospital with Jerry Bradshaw looking after her and Ethan lovingly holding her hand. _

_Right then, a paramedic was checking on Renee outside the capitol building. _

**09.12.02 – 09.12.03 – 09.12.04 - 09.12.05 PM **

**09.14.16 – 09.14.17 – 09.14.18 - 09.14.19 PM **

_President Taylor was still being taken to Bethesda Naval Hospital while Ethan prayed by her side._

_At that moment, Zoe was heading to the White House. _

_Meanwhile, a paramedic was checking Vice President Hayworth's minor injuries. _

_Right then, firefighters were still putting off the fire and some parts of the capitol were collapsing. _

**09.14.24 – 09.14.25 – 09.14.26 - 09.14.27 PM **

**MedStar Washington Hospital Center**

Jack was lying in his hospital bed, unaware of what had happened. He hadn't gotten the chance to watch the news because the doctors had been examining him and running a lot of tests on him. He was about to request that someone put the TV on.

Then Dr. Charlotte Altman walked in and gave him a smile. She also didn't know about the attack.

"Good news, Mr. Bauer", she announced cheerfully. "The full-body scan showed nothing. You don't have a tumor. The bad news is that we don't know what caused the hypertensive crisis"

At that moment, they were interrupted by two secret service agents who quickly busted into the room.

"Dr. Altman? Secret Service", one of the agents said while both of them showed their badges.

"You need to come with us", the agent said while she grabbed her by the arm.

"What happened?", she asked, already getting scared.

"What's going on?", Jack asked simultaneously.

"Three bombs went off in the capitol. President Taylor is seriously injured", one agent explained, while he rushed Charlotte out of the room.

Jack felt terrified. His skin turned white. Renee was in the capitol. What if she was dead? He got dressed as fast as humanly possible and left the room. He ran and finally caught up with the agents, who were putting Charlotte in a helicopter.

"Is someone dead?", Jack asked the agents. He could feel the sweat wetting his forehead.

"We don't know", one of the agents told him.

Without saying anything else, the agents got in the helicopter with Dr. Altman and then it took off.

Jack took his cellphone and tried to call Renee but he only got the voice mail.

"Damn it!", Jack yelled with frustration.

He left the heliport and ran desperately down the hospital's hallway to get to Renee as soon as possible.

He made it to his car and left the hospital.

**09.16.09 – 09.16.10 – 09.16.11 - 09.16.12 PM **

**Capitol Building**

Inside an ambulance parked near the capitol a male paramedic was taking care of some minor cuts in her hands. She had cuts in her hands because of the chandelier that had fallen close to her. The light bulbs had busted. She had instinctively used her hands to protect her face.

"You seem okay to me, Ms. Walker", he said, as he checked her lungs to see if the smoke had affected her. "But those bruises…". He shook his head worriedly. Renee had a purple circle above her right eyebrow and a bigger purple circle on the right cheek. "We should do a scan to rule out a head injury"

"The bruises are old", Renee explained. "I was in a car accident a month ago. And I was kidnapped earlier today". She sighed. It was a sentence she never thought she would say.

"Right", the paramedic said nodding. "I saw it on the news".

Without saying another word, Renee walked away. She saw Nathan O'Malley who seemed to be desperately searching for someone. He seemed unharmed except for some blood coming from inside his ears and a bump in the head.

"Nate, is the president dead?", she asked with anxiety in her voice and features.

"No. She's being taken to the hospital. She's unconscious and has what seemed third and second degree burns " he replied practically yelling as he kept walking and looking for someone.

"How the hell could this happen, Nate?", Renee asked brusquely, trying to keep up with him.

But Nathan had no time to continue talking to her.

"Not now, Renee" , he told her without even looking at her. He was asking himself the same question but had no answer.

He rushed to talk to his protégée, Agent Evan McDonell, who was completely unharmed because he had put himself in charge of guarding the outside of the capitol.

"Where the hell is agent Kirchner?", he asked, yelling.

"I don't know", Evan replied.

"She was the last person to check the podium", Nathan explained talking really fast and loudly. "We need to find her now!"

The beautiful agent, Melinda Kirchner, had been the last agent to clear the podium and now she was missing. Nathan was now suspecting that she was a dirty element infiltrated in the service.

Evan talked to his cuff-mic.

"We need a twenty on Agent Melinda Kirchner"

Renee overheard the conversation but decided to demand explanations later. She had to find the Vice President. In her search, she saw Speaker Forbes seemingly unconscious on a gurney. He was burn so badly that he was barely recognizable.

"Is that Speaker Forbes?", Renee asked.

"Yeah", a paramedic replied nodding. He then covered Forbes with a white blanket, looked at Renee and shook his head sadly.

Renee sighed gloomily and quickly continued looking for the vice president. She finally saw Hayworth inside an ambulance. The paramedics were putting cream in his burns and covering them with bandages. The vice president's chief of staff, Derek Watts was next to him. The young chief of staff only had only small cuts in his face and hands.

"Where's my family?", Hayworth was yelling desperately at his agents. "I want to see Muriel and Aspen now!".

"Sir, we are trying hard to find them", an agent told him.

"We are talking about my wife and daughter!", Hayworth protested. "Find then now!"

Renee approached the vice president. She was already in crisis mode.

"Sir, right now the president is unconscious, so you're acting president", she told him. "How do you wish to proceed?"

The vice president remained silent as he thought about what to do.

At that moment, Agent Tyler Ingleton approached Derek and took him aside to tell him something. Derek's eyes and mouth opened suddenly in horror. His skin was white. In shock, he addressed Hayworth.

"Mr. Vice President?", he called his boss's attention. Derek looked at him with pity. "I'm so sorry, sir. Muriel and Aspen are dead"

Renee covered her mouth, horrified. She felt really bad for the Vice President.

Hayworth was obviously crushed. It was the most horrible moment of his life. He shook his head, not wanting to believe it was true.

"No! No! It's not possible!", he screamed.

"I'm sorry, sir", Derek told him sincerely and put a hand on his boss's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, sir", Renee told him sincerely. She gave him five seconds to process everything before talking again. "Sir… We need to get the commanders and the joint chiefs together. We should take our forces to Defcom Four and declare state of emergency in the DC metropolitan area. We should also bring out the National Guard. And all the governors should send emergency delegates"

Hayworth was naturally crying over the loss of his family. He couldn't even speak. He simply nodded.

Renee considered his nod as an order.

Agent Ingleton interrupted the talk.

"We have to take him to the White House!", he yelled anxiously. He was yelling partly because of the tension and partly because his ears were severely hurt and his hearing was compromised.

Agent Ingleton and Agent Colin McGrath put the Vice President in a limousine. Derek and Renee got in the limousine with them. Renee took her cellphone and noticed that it was off, since she had turned it off for the stated of the union address. Once it was on again, she began making calls to make Hayworth's orders happen.

"I need to talk to Amber", Hayworth said, talking about his teenage daughter. Derek dutifully gave him a cellphone. "And get her to the White House", the vice president ordered his agents. He then dialed the number to call his daughter.

Amber had found out about the attack through internet and was now watching the news TV as she searched information online at the same time. The pre-teen's twitter and facebook accounts were flooded by messages of people asking about her father.

"Miss, your father is on the phone", a butler told her while handing her the phone.

"Daddy? Oh, God, Daddy! Are you allright?", she asked with tears in her eyes.

"Yes, baby doll. I'm okay", he told her, trying hard not to cry.

"And mom and Aspen?"

Hayworth swallowed a lump on his throat. He didn't want to break such bad news over the phone.

"They are hurt. And, honey… it's serious", he said, so his daughter could prepare herself before finding out the truth. "Look, they'll take you to the White House. I'll see you there". He swallowed another lump on his throat. "I love you so much, honey"

"I love you too, daddy", Amber said, then she quickly twitted "DAD OK", knowing the world would want to know. After that, she twitted "Mom and Aspen seriously hurt. Please, pray for them".

Meanwhile, in the limousine, the vice president was finding it difficult not to cry.

Renee just gave him a very concerned look. Tragedy had hit him. He was going through a horrible time. Was he ready to lead the nation in a time of crisis? After all, he wasn't Jack Bauer.

"Sir?", Renee interrupted Hayworth's thoughts. "What about the cabinet?"

Hayworth was looking through the window and took a moment before staring at Renee.

"I want to see them all in the bunker", he ordered. He made another pause. "Did they all make it?"

"I think so", Renee answered nodding. "I'll check. But one of them should stay in a different secured location"

"It makes sense", the vice president agreed.

Renee waited a moment, waiting for the vice president to choose a cabinet member to stay in the different location. But Hayworth said nothing.

"Who?", she finally asked.

"I don't know", Hayworth admitted.

"Laura Torrence was already chosen as designated survivor for the speech"

"Keep her as designated survivor then", Hayworth said, seemingly annoyed. "Jesus, Renee! Do you have to ask me about every little thing? Can't you make a fucking decision for yourself?"

They were all startled by Hayworth's use of the F word. But obviously nobody said anything.

Renee simply took her cellphone and began making the necessary calls to make the Vice President's orders happen. Derek used his own cellphone to help her.

**09.20.28 – 09.20.29 – 09.20.30 - 09.20.31 PM **

**Jack's car**

Jack was driving like a maniac in direction to the White House, since he knew his place was in the situation room. As he drove, he tried to call Renee again and got the voice mail once again.

"Damn it!", he screamed.

He decided to call his deputy, Nora McNally, who was in the white house. For security reasons, nobody was allowed to use cellphones inside the White House. So, in order to reach her he called the White House Situation Room.

The situation room was packed with people from the CIA, the NSA and the DOD. A lot of them were wearing Military uniforms. They were all busy working. A low-rank military man picked up the phone.

"Situation room"

"This is Bauer. I need to speak to Colonel McNally now!", Jack said rudely.

"She's being taken to the bunker", the soldier explained.

"Patch me through the bunker then", Jack ordered. He almost hit another car. The streets of Washington were chaotic.

The man did as told.

An agent guarding the entrance to the bunker picked up the phone.

"Yes?"

"I need to speak with Colonel McNally", Jack said.

"Colonel McNally?", the guard asked out loud for confirmation.

Just at that moment, Nora walked into the quickly bunker along with other essential personnel. They all showed the guards the special card that authorized them to go to the bunker in moments such as the one they were living then.

"Colonel, you have a call", the guard told her after reading the name in her card.

Nora immediately picked up the phone.

"Yes?"

"Nora? It's Jack"

"Jack! Can you believe this?"

"Listen, I'm heading to the White House right now", Jack informed.

"But you're sick. You're supposed to spend the night in the hospital"

"Yeah. That's not gonna happen", Jack affirmed predictably. "How's the president?"

"They are not telling us much. We just know that she's alive. But, Jack… she's in critical condition"

"You have the dead toll?"

Nora shook her head.

"Not yet"

"Who's with you?"

"Greene, Swan and Anderson", she replied. She was talking about the Under Secretary of defense for intelligence, the Under Secretary of defense for policy and the CIA director.

"What about Heller and Fenwik?", Jack asked, referring to the Secretary of State and the Secretary of defense.

"Fenwik is on his way. Heller was taken to the hospital", Nora replied.

"What happened?", he asked,

"Just a precaution because he hit his head and inhaled too much smoke. It's not too serious though", Nora informed talking very fast.

"Okay", Jack sighed relieved. "Is any group claiming responsibility?"

"Not yet", Nora said.

"I'll see you soon", he told her and disconnected the call. Then he called to CTU DC. Director Chloe O'Brian took the call after one ring.

"O'Brian"

"Chloe, it's me"

"Jack! Thank God!", Chloe said with clear relief. She was unaware of Jack's health crisis, so she thought he was at the capitol during the explosion. "Are you okay?"

"Yes", he said, without time to explain that he was at the hospital and why. "You are at CTU, right?"

"Yes. But Morris was there. He was working along with some secret service guy called Dexter Brewer"

Jack got alarmed, knowing how devastated Chloe would feel if her husband died. "Is Morris okay?"

"Yeah. Thank God he wasn't hurt", Chloe answered. "What about Renee?"

Jack swallowed a lump that quickly grew in his throat before answering.

"I don't know", he admitted with clear strain in his voice.

Chloe was surprised to hear that, since she had assumed Jack and Renee were together.

"Well, I'm sure she's fine", she said to make Jack feel better.

"Yeah", Jack whispered. "Look, you've got to send us a CTU guy to work as liaison"

"Gee, you think?", Chloe asked with obvious sarcasm.

"We'll send you a guy too", Jack stated.

"I know the protocol", Chloe said. "I'll send Morris"

"Renee will decide who we send", Jack told her. He made a pause. "If she's alive"

His vision was blurred by unshed tears.

**09.22.36 – 09.22.37 – 09.22.38 - 09.22.39 PM **

**Bethesda Naval Hospital**

Dr. Charlotte Altman got out of the helicopter after arriving to Bethesda Naval hospital and was received by the chief of the Navy Medical Corps.

"I'm Commander Alton Templeton", he shook her hand. "You are Dr. Altman?"

"Yes", she confirmed. "How's the president?"

"Stable, for now", the commander replied as they headed quickly to the OR. "She has severe pulmonary contusion, bleeding and swelling with damage to alveoli and blood vessels because of the shock waves resulting from the blast. Also, a fragment of the bomb lacerated her aortic artery. Besides, she has second and third degree burns. But what worries me the most is that another fragment of the bomb is stuck in her brain."

"How are we going to proceed?", Charlotte asked. She was trying to be professional and cold like the commander, but she was failing.

"You'll work on the lungs and the heart while our neurosurgeon works on her brain. Then our plastic surgeon will fix the burns. I will, of course, supervise everything"

They finally reached the antechamber of the OR. Charlotte washed carefully her arms and hands. Then some nurses helped her put scrubs, a surgical hat, globes and a surgical mask. Once ready, she took a deep breath and walked into the OR. There were about ten people in there, including secret service agents. The neurosurgeon was already working on the president's brain. For the brain surgery, they had to shave the president's head.

Dr. Altman gave her a look and was about to cry. Her hands were a little bit shaky. She didn't want to be responsible for the death of President Taylor. The fate of the world was quite literally in Charlotte's hands. It was too much pressure. She was regretting taking the job in the first place. As a former combat doctor, she was used to working fast in terrible circumstances. But she had never held the fate of the world in her hands or have millionths of people expectantly watching the news to see whether she failed or not.

Commander Templeton noticed Charlotte's nervousness and spoke to her very firmly.

"Dr. Altman, right now the lady on your table is not the president. She's not the leader of the free world. Right now she's simply a patient. She's a normal lady who needs you. And all of us are gonna do what we always do… we are gonna save our patient". He made a dramatic pause as he continue. "We are all here because we are the best at what we do. We have to trust our abilities. Can you do that?"

There was a pause as Charlotte considered Alton's words.

"Yes, sir", Charlotte finally responded firmly. "Scalpel", she requested.

Someone gave her a scalpel, which she took with a steady hand. She then opened Allison's chest to fix the heart and the lungs. Charlotte Altman, born to be a surgeon, was now in her element.

**09.25.39 – 09.25.40 – 09.25.41 - 09.25.42 PM **

**News Station**

News anchors Everett and Marsha continued informing the people about what was going on. They were live and millionths of distraught and shocked Americans were watching them.

"We can confirm now that the Speaker of the House, Stuart Forbes is deceased", Everett informed somberly.

Instantly, a picture of Stuart Forbes appeared on the screen with the caption "Speaker Forbes was killed in the explosion".

"Stuart Forbes was 56 years old. He had a wife, two children and a grandchild. He was a hardcore democrat, who was elected to represent Chicago's first district at the age of 36. He was devoted to public service. He was often described as tough, but just and hardworking".

Several pictures of Speaker Forbes flashed on the screen one after the other while a caption read "Stuart Dean Forbes (6/8/1962 – 1/29/2019)".

While Everett spoke, Wade quietly handed a note to Marsha, who was off camera at the time. Marsha read the note, widened her eyes and covered her mouth in horror. She was then forced to interrupt Everett.

"I'm sorry, Everett…", she said. Now the camera was on both anchors. "I have confirmation that Muriel and Aspen Hayworth were also killed in this deplorable act of terrorism. The wife and the oldest daughter of the vice president were invited to the address by First Gentleman Ethan Kanin. Muriel was 44 years old and young Aspen was only 20".

A picture of Mitchell Hayworth with Muriel, Aspen and Amber appeared on the screen. A caption said "Muriel and Aspen Hayworth dead". In the picture the family was smiling happily in the inauguration ceremony. Then the photo was zoomed in to show only Muriel and Aspen.

"I have a wife and a daughter too, Marsha", Everett said sadly. "I can't imagine the pain Mitchell Hayworth is feeling right now"

"I can't either", Marsha admitted. She then read the information she had on a piece of paper she had been given. "Muriel and Mitchell Hayworth met in U.C.L.A. She majored in Political Sciences, like him, and went to law school in that same university while he got an MBA from Stanford. Their daughter Aspen was studying in Georgetown and was planning to mayor in American Studies".

"Go to commercials, Everett", Wade ordered through a com devise. They needed a few minutes to gather more information.

"We'll bring you more information about the recent attack on our country when we get back from a commercials break", Everett said to the audience.

"Any word from the White House?", Marsha asked the producer.

"None", Wade said. "We have talked to Cal Coleman and Angie Nelson, but they don't know anything"

"Is any person who was there answering the phone?", Everett asked with frustration.

"Some", Wade replied. "But they know what we know"

**09.27.59 – 09.28.00 – 09.28.01 - 09.28.02 PM **

**Sibley Memorial Hospital**

While the president had been taken to Bethesda Navy Hospital, the rest of the injured had been taken to other hospitals in the DC area.

In Sibley Memorial Hospital, Dr. Gillian Bailey was trying fervently to resuscitate Edwin Ross, the chief justice of the Supreme Court.

"Clear!", she shouted and then she gave Edwin an electric shock. Nothing happened. "Clear!", she shouted once again and gave the chief justice another electric shock. She had been doing that for several minutes. Soon she realized that her patient's heart would nor restart. She exhaled heavily feeling defeated. "Time of death: 09.27", she announced.

Gillian moved on and quickly headed to the waiting area to find out what injured person she had to treat next. In the waiting area she saw a middle-aged petite woman sitting there. The woman had her head between the hands and seemed to be in a lot of pain. Suddenly, the woman threw up on the floor. The doctor rushed to her side.

"Ma'am, are you allright?", Gilliam asked. She took a flashlight from her pocket and checked the patient's pupils.

"My heart hurts", the woman explained as tears fell from her eyes. "And my ears"

The doctor quickly got an empty gurney and made the woman sit there.

"Were you in the explosion?", Gillian asked, just to confirm. She started writing things down on a chart.

"Yeah. A piece of ceiling feel over my head", the woman explained between sobs.

"Can you tell me what day is today and who's the president?", Gillian asked to test if the woman was oriented. Meanwhile, she checked the patient's ears.

"January 29 and the president is Allison Taylor. Unless she's dead", she said and broke down in sobs again. "Is she dead?"

"I don't know", the doctor replied. Very quickly, she checked the woman's lungs. "What's your name and occupation?"

"Mac Brogan Goddard", Mackenzie answered. "I'm a senator from the state of Florida"

The doctor gave her a kind smile, to reassure her patient.

"Okay, Senator. You have a mild concussion and your tympanic membrane is pierced. But you'll be fine. We'll take good care of you".

"I have to go soon. The White House might need me", Mac said.

"You are not going anywhere", the doctor said firmly. "You need to spend the night here in observation and you need an MRI". The she turned to talk to a nurse. "Is the MRI available?"

"Not yet", the nurse replied. "We have too many patients".

The doctor sighed and addressed the patient.

"I'll take you to a room where you can wait for the MRI"

Mac then laid on the gurney with resignation and Gillian took her to room 24. Outside the room, two FBI agents were posted.

"Where are you going, doctor?", one of the agents asked, blocking her way.

"This patient needs to be in that room", Gillian explained. She didn't care for the man's tone.

"Leon Craig is in that room", the agent told her.

"There are two beds", Gillian pointed out feeling pissed.

"Craig is a very dangerous murderer. He has to be isolated"

"We don't have enough rooms to keep anybody isolated"

"We can't let Craig share a room!"

"Listen to me, there are people being treated In the hallways", she said approaching him and pointing at him with a finger. She had a tone that said don't-mess-with-me. "The ER. is packed. I'm the Chief of emergency and I say that no bed will be left empty"

"You really want to leave her with a dangerous criminal?", the agent barked with an angry frown. Then he addressed Mac- "ma'am, the man in that room is an animal. Do you want to be left in a room with him?"

Mac hesitated. She was scared of the infamous Leon Craig. But she wanted to be brave.

"If the doctor says there is no choice… I'm okay with it", she said trying to put a stoic face.

"You guys will be right here", Gillian reminded the agents, losing her patience. " And he's handcuffed"

"Fine", the agent caved in.

The doctor helped Mac put on the hospital gown and get into bed. Mac stared at Leo, lying unconscious in the bed next to hers. The man had handcuffs tying him to the bars of the bed.

"Don't worry", the doctor said to Mac. "He has just been through surgery. He won't do anything". The doctor gave her a little smile. "Now, you'll feel sleepy . But do not fall asleep. You have to stay awake at least for three more hours"

"Okay", Mac agreed. "I'd like to see the news"

The doctor nodded.

"The nurse will give you the remote when she gives you the meds", Gillian told her. "I'll come back later".

Saying that, the doctor left the room.

_Mac looked worriedly at Leo. _

_Meanwhile, Charlotte was operating on Allison. _

_At that same time, Renee was in the bunker's situation room._

_At that moment, Jack was still on his way to the White House._

**09.32.08 – 09.32.09 – 09.32.10 - 09.32.11 PM **

**09.34.36 – 09.34.37 – 09.34.38- 09.38.39 PM **

_A secret service agent was checking Jack's briefcase before letting him walk into the White House. _

_Leo was still unconscious because of the anesthesia. _

_Mac was watching the news on TV. The TV screen showed images of firefighters and law enforcers working on the capitol. A caption read "America under attack" _

_In the bunker's situation room there was a lot of activity. Secretary Dwayne Fenwik was meeting with Secretary Tim Woods, Nora McNally, Matthew Anderson (CIA director), Ashton Morgan (Director of NSA), __General Arnold Vincent (Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs), General __Hank__ Gratz (President Taylor's military advisor) and __Admiral John Fredrick Smith (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs). _

Hayworth suddenly walked into the situation room with Renee and Derek following suit. Everybody stood up.

"I want to know who did this!", Hayworth barked as soon as he entered the room.

He took a seat in the president's chair and everybody sat as well. Fenwik was sitting at his right and the chair at Hayworth's left was empty. There was a brief awkward moment when Renee and Derek tried to take that empty chair. The two of them exchanged a look. One was Hayworth's Chief of staff while the other was the White House chief of staff. But right then Hayworth was the president. So, which chief of staff had the highest rank at that moment?

Renee was fastest and took the chair. Derek said nothing but gave her an angry stare as he took another seat. She didn't even look at him.

"So far no group is claiming responsibility", Nora informed.

Hayworth then looked at Ashton and Matthew.

"Do we have a clue on who could have done this?", the acting president asked.

"We, along with secret service, are analyzing every threat received in last few months", Matt said.

"It's worth mentioning, sir…",Ashton began saying. "That at this moment we don't know the whereabouts of the leaders of Al-Qaeda".

Renee straightened her back in alarm.

"We don't know where Ayman al-Zawahiri is?", she asked.

"That's what I'm saying", Ashton told her with a nod.

"That's gonna have to change soon, Ashton", Renee told him with a warning in her tone and features.

"What are we doing to find out who did it?", Hayworth asked brusquely.

"Secret Service is on site searching for evidence, along with CTU DC, FBI and DC Metro Police", Tim Woods reminded him.

"Those are too many hands for my taste, sir", Renee said.

There was a moment of silence as Hayworth pondered about what he was hearing.

"What do you propose?", the acting president asked Renee.

"Dividing the tasks", Renee suggested.

"The police should keep the order on the streets", Tim suggested.

"CTU should search for leads and conduct the interrogations analyze the evidence collected from the building", Renee added firmly. "The FBI should keep investigating the murders that happened this morning. They could be related"

"What makes you think that?", Derek asked her, clearly in disbelief.

Renee didn't answer him, addressing Hayworth instead.

"Look at everything that happened today, sir", she told the acting president. "Two people with evidence about an assassination attempt were murdered". Hayworth bit his lower lip, as he absorbed Renee's words.

"A Russian gangster presumed dead showed up to kill other three people who were key witnesses in the trial against the masterminds of that same assassination… And someone blows up the capitol. All at the same day". She put special emphasis in those last five words.

"What are you saying?", Hayworth asked, having a hard time following her.

"Sir, President Taylor was going to testify against Yuri Suvarov, like those who were killed, or almost killed, earlier today…", Renee pointed out making passionately her case.

"You think that's why it happened?", Hayworth asked, understanding Renee's point.

"I think it could be", Renee affirmed. "I think someone is killing all the people who were going to testify against Suvarov and Novakovich"

"They blew up the whole capitol just to kill Allison Taylor?!", Hayworth asked angrily, practically screaming. "Is that why my family was killed?!"

"Maybe", Renee said tentatively. "We don't know much yet".

Hayworth puffed with frustration.

"Any troop movement we should worry about?", he asked, feeling defeated.

"North Korea has just started moving 70% of its troops. They seem to be heading to our bases in South Korea", Nora replied, showing said troop movement on a giant screen they had there.

"And why the hell are they doing that now?", Hayworth asked, outraged.

"They might be preparing a hit, since we are weakened", Nora suggested.

"Or they might be preparing themselves because they are guilty and they know we'll retaliate", Derek speculated.

Hayworth sighed, looking extremely tired.

"Send a message to their leadership", he ordered, visibly annoyed.

"What message, sir?", Renee asked. She didn't think the North Koreans were guilty. She believed they were just taking advantage of the moment to cowardly hit the USA while it was down.

"Tell them not to piss me off tonight", Hayworth answered with a frown. He thought the same thing Renee was thinking. He then stood up, prompting everyone else to do the same. "Call me when you know more. I have a crushed teen to console"

He left the room as Renee and Derek followed him.

"Don't I have to take the oath?", Hayworth asked Renee brusquely.

"Yes. But first the cabinet has to vote", Renee explained. "It's just a formality, sir. Nobody doubts that president Taylor will be incapacitated for some time"

"Okay", the acting president acknowledged with a nod. "And where the hell are Jim Heller and Jack Bauer?".

"They must be still at the hospital, sir. Jack got sick before the explosion", Renee explained.

"And Jim?", Hayworth inquired, visibly pissed.

"He got hurt during the explosion", Renee explained.

"And who the hell didn't?!", Hayworth asked with outrage in his tone, raising his voice. "Tell both of them to get their asses down here now!"

He left quickly to his office. Derek looked at Renee with concern in his olive-green eyes and then followed the acting president. Renee left to her office to continue working. She ran into Jack, who was heading to the situation room. Their eyes met.

"Jack", she whispered, happy to see him.

"Hey", Jack whispered. He was immensely relieved. He rushed to hold her really tight. He could smell the smoke in her hair. She had been in great danger. "I almost lost you… again"

He cupped her cheek with his hand and she put a hand on top of his.

"But I'm okay, Jack", she affirmed.

He looked deep into her crystal-blue eyes and kissed softly her lips.

"And President Taylor?", he asked.

"In surgery", Renee replied. She looked down sadly.

Jack lifted her chin gently to make her look into his eyes.

"She'll be okay. She's a survivor", he tried to reassure her. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine", she assured him.

Right then, Zoe appeared. She was very happy to see Renee.

"Ms. Walker, you are okay", she said and her aquamarine eyes filled with unshed tears.

Jack quietly walked away and headed to the situation room to work. He didn't need to tell Renee where he was going because it was obvious.

Renee could easily tell that her sensitive assistant was pretty shaken up. She approached the younger woman and gave her a hug.

"How's the president?", Zoe asked.

"In surgery. We don't know much yet", Renee replied.

"And Erik?", Zoe asked. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"I haven't seen him", Renee admitted. "Call the local hospitals and find out"

"Anything else I should do?", Zoe asked.

"Get in touch with the Attorney General", Renee ordered talking very fast. "Tell him we need the paperwork for the acting president to declare state of emergency". She walked into her office while she spoke and Zoe followed her. "Call all the governors and make sure they are sending emergency delegates. Also, this might seem trivial, but bring President Taylor's dog to the bunker. She would want him to be safe. And send someone to my house. I need to change clothes… again". She puffed and shook her head. "I look like shit and smell like a chimney".

Renee's clothes were dirty, smelled like smoke and were stained with some blood from the minor cuts in her hands.

Zoe nodded and bit her lower lip.

"Zoe, are you okay?", Renee asked, looking into the younger woman's teary eyes. "Because I need you, but you are no use to me if you are too upset to work"

"I'll be fine", Zoe assured her. "It's just…". She looked at her shoes sadly and then back at Renee. "Erik was in that building because of me. If he's dead, it's on me"

Renee gave Zoe a look full of compassion. She knew what it was like to feel guilty.

"Look, Zoe..", she said as she got closer to her and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Nothing it's your fault. Erik really cares about you so he chose to replace you. He chose to help you. Nobody put a gun on his head"

"I guess not", Zoe said rather weakly.

"Zoe, I understand that it's difficult, but right now I need you to do your job. It's very important that you put your feelings aside".

Zoe nodded solemnly and left quickly to do as told.

**09.39.44 – 09.39.45 – 09.39.46 – 09.39.47 PM**

**Silver Hill, Maryland - ****Brendan Marson's apartment **

Brendan Marson was with his group in the kitchen of his apartment. He was arguing with his girlfriend, Theodora. He took a glass of water and then swallowed a vicodin pill.

"We have got to get the hell out of here, Brendan", his girlfriend urged him.

"We can't leave. Taylor is still alive", Brendan yelled.

"Please, be reasonable", Theodora begged him with desperation.

The discussion was interrupted by Brendan's cellphone ringing. Knowing who it was, Brendan took the call.

"Hello, Brooke", he said.

"Why are Taylor and Walker still alive?", Brooke asked brusquely. "You planted bombs that were too weak"

"Don't you dare criticize my work!", he screamed, mortally offended. "It's not my fault if those bitches have more lives than a cat". He managed to compose himself. "According to the news Taylor could still die".

"You're still not getting the money", Brooke told him coldly.

"What?!", Brendan yelled outraged.

"It's been decided that you don't work for us anymore", Brooke informed, while Brendan took another vicodin to calm down. "You're lucky we are gonna let you live. And that's because of our friendship"

"Listen, Brooke… I can still take care of them. I have a contingency plan", Brendan assured her.

"My boss and I have a contingency plan and it doesn't involve you", Brooke told him firmly.

"I can do the job!", Brendan protested loudly.

"You were too scared to use a more powerful bomb!", Brooke accused him.

"I'm never scared!", Brendan argued furious.

"You didn't want what happened to you in 1999 to happen again", Brooke affirmed.

"That's ridiculous", Brendan said, outraged by the insinuation.

"It doesn't matter", Brooke said. "Ivan Jacobi will take care of it"

"You can't do this to me!", Brendan protested. "I can kill them both, and you know it"

Brooke sighed and came up with an idea.

"Let me tell you what… Your team and Ivan's will compete with each other. The first one to kill them gets the money. The other one won't see a penny from my people ever again".

"I accept the challenge", Brendan affirmed with a nod, seeing he had no choice. He was sure he would win anyway.

"We'll talk later"; Brooke said and hung up the phone.

Brendan put his cellphone away and addressed his people.

"Allright. We have to take care of Taylor and Walker before Ivan Jacobi does, or we won't see the money"

"What do you mean we won't see the money?!", his son, Nolan, exclaimed outraged. "Dad, we planted the bombs. We deserve that money. We earned it"

"Those people don't care about that", Brendan said. "And we can't argue with them. They are too dangerous"

"Then we should eliminate the competition before anything else", Nolan suggested somberly. "Just to secure our victory"

"I was thinking the same thing, son", Brendan told him.

Then Mandy emerged from the bathroom. She was now wearing a jogging suit, big glasses and a wooden hat to hide her hair. She addressed Theodora.

"Give me my new passport", she ordered brusquely. "I'm out of here"

"You're not going anywhere", Brendan said coldly. "We have to kill Taylor and Walker as soon as possible"

Mandy looked at him like he was crazy.

"Everybody is looking for us, idiot. I have to go", she told him. "If you had two brain cells, you'd leave too"

"Nobody is leaving!", Brendan yelled. "You're gonna help me".

"If you don't want to give me a new ID, fine. I'm leaving anyway", Mandy said, as she walked away.

Brendan instantly took a gun from his pocket and readied it to shoot. Mandy heard the click of the gun and turned around to see Brendan aiming it at her.

"You move, and you're dead", he told her seriously.

**09.39.42 – 09.39.43 – 09.39.44 – 09.39.45 PM**

**Sibley Memorial Hospital**

Mackenzie was in her bed watching the news.

"We have confirmed that, unfortunately, Darren Berger, the President pro-tempore of the Senate, has perished", Everett Winlock informed with a gloomy expression. "Because of the blast, President pro-tempore Berger had a collapsed lung and a lacerated aortic artery. He succumbed to his wounds at approximately 09.35. He was eighty five years old. He had a son, two daughters and seven grandchildren. His oldest granddaughter is expecting a child and now he'll never meet that baby"

In the bed next to Mac's, Leo started waking up. As he stirred, Mackenzie watched him attentively. Still, a little groggy, Leo groaned and winced in pain. His left leg and his right shoulder hurt like hell. Leo looked at the bed next to him and was shocked to see a petite forty year old woman in it. Since he was considered a very dangerous criminal, he assumed he'd be isolated.

"Who are you?", he asked with a groan.

"I'm Mac Goddard", she answered, a bit fearfully

Leo was even more surprised.

"The senator!", he exclaimed.

"Yeah", she confirmed with a nod.

Leo was going to ask her what she was doing there. But then he looked at the TV screen and noticed a caption that read: "Attack on the capitol. Mitchell Hayworth to be sworn acting president". Then Leo heard what News anchor Marsha was saying.

"According to Press Secretary Angela Nelson, Acting President Hayworth will take the oath of office in ten minutes. It is not known at this time how long President Taylor will be in surgery", Marsha informed.

Leo became suddenly more alert and got in a sitting position as he listened.

"Our medical experts said that her recovery, if she does recover, will likely be very slow, so President Hayworth might remain in office for several weeks, even months", Everett added.

"This is what Angela Nelson said five minutes ago…", Marsha said.

Footage of Angie making a press statement minutes before was shown in the screen for the second time in the last ten minutes.

"President Taylor has severe pulmonary contusion", Angie stated looking down and with a small temblor in her hands. "Bleeding and swelling with damage to alveoli and blood vessels". She tried to hold back the tears. "A fragment of the bomb lacerated her aortic artery. She also has second and third degree burns"

Everett and Marsha then appeared on the screen again.

"Ms. Nelson seemed pretty shaken up", Everett pointed out. "And our reporters say that she couldn't hear very well"

"That's because many of the people in the explosion have their tympanic membrane pierced", Marsha explained. "We'll be back with our medical experts after a brief pause"

Before going to a pause, they played again the footage of the president starting to give her speech and being interrupted by the bomb going off.

Leo couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Jesus fucking Christ!", he exclaimed with his hazel eyes wide opened. He then addressed Mackenzie. "Was someone killed?". Without giving her time to respond, he repeated the question. "Was someone killed?"

"Hayworth's wife, his oldest daughter, the Chief Justice, the Speaker and the President Pro-tempore of the senate", Mac answered. She winced in pain with her head between her hands.

"What about Renee Walker?", Leo asked anxiously.

"They didn't say anything about her", Mac told him.

Leo took a moment to silently process the information he was receiving.

"Please, senator, I need to use your cellphone", He told Mac urgently.

Mac bit her lower lip hesitatingly.

"I don't think I'm supposed to do that, Mr. Craig"

"Please", he begged. "It won't hurt anyone. You'd be listening to every word I say"

She bit the tip of her nail.

"I don't know", she said shaking her head. "Ask the agents. You have the right to make one phone call"

Leo chuckled, thinking the senator was very naïve.

"They don't give a damn about my rights", Leo told her. "I shot two agents. They hate my guts right now". He made a pause. "I'll show you". Then he shouted so the agents by the door could hear him. "Hey! Come here!"

Agents Lenny Charters and Brandon Turner walked into the room in an instant.

"What?", Lenny asked in a rude manner.

"I need to make a phone call", Leo told them. "I have the right to make a phone call, don't I?"

The agents just laughed at him.

"Maybe, maybe, we'll let you call someone later", Brandon said.

"If you cooperate", Lenny added. "Jeffrey will come to take your statement soon"

"So, be a good boy, Craig", Brandon told him with warning in his tone. "We might even get you something to eat"

"Gee, thanks", Leo said sarcastically.

The FBI agents left the room without saying another word. Mackenzie didn't feel like they were being fair.

"You have the right to call someone", she stated firmly.

"I told you they wouldn't care", Leo reminded her with a frown.

After thinking about it for a moment, Mac sighed resignedly. She stood up and went to get her cellphone. She was going to give it to Leo, but he stopped her.

"No", he said. "I need you to call to the White House and ask for Jack Bauer". He could see the senator was reluctant. "Please", he insisted.

"Okay", Mackenzie gave in and dialed the White house phone number. Naturally, the lines were busy. "It's busy, Mr. Craig".

"Please, try again. It's very important", Leo requested.

After three more tries, a White House operator picked up.

"White House operator. How may I help you?"

"This is Senator Goddard. I need to speak with Jack Bauer urgently", Mac said. The urgency was obvious in her tone.

"I'll patch you through his office", the operator said.

"They're patching me through", Mac explained to Leo.

After a few seconds nothing was going on. Leo was clearly impatient.

"And?", he asked brusquely.

"I'm still on hold", Mac told him.

In Jack's regular office, Ruth Carmichael, his assistant, was trying to take the many calls Jack was receiving and writing the many messages. She was unharmed because she wasn't at the capitol during the explosion. She was making call and picking up some things jack would need in the bunker. After ending one call, she took another one.

"Jack Bauer's office"

"This is Senator Mac Goddard. I have to talk to Mr. Bauer right now", she said urgently.

"I'm afraid that's not possible. He's in the situation room", Ruth explained.

Mac then addressed Leo.

"He can't come to the phone", Mac said to Leo.

"Say it's a matter of national security", Leo whispered at her.

Mac complied.

"It's a matter of national security"

"I'm sorry", Ruth said, trying hard to be patient. "He can't take any call right now. I'm sure he'll call you back as soon as possible"

"Please, tell him it's important", she requested.

"Everything is important tonight", Ruth pointed out.

"I understand", Mac said with resignation. She then spoke to Leo. "He is too busy"

"Damn it!", he exclaimed. "ask how Renee is"

"Ma'am, is Renee Walker okay?", Mac asked Ruth.

"Yes. She's working too, obviously, but she's fine", Ruth told her.

"Good", Mac said and gave Leo a thumb up.

Leo sighed deeply relieved. He couldn't call Renee because that would compromise her. But it was great to know she was okay. His spiritual sister would survive this horrible day.

**09.46.25 – 09.46.26 – 09.46.27 – 09.46.28 PM**

**White House's bunker**

Renee was on the phone with Ethan Kanin. Ethan was in the naval hospital's waiting area and was furious. He had called Renee as soon as possible.

"How did this happen?", he asked.

"We still don't know much, sir", Renee explained with a gentle tone. "They are gathering evidence. And Secret Service is looking for Agent Melinda kirshner. She was the last one to check the podium and now she's missing. Right now we have to assume that she's dirty"

"This had to be done with inside help", Ethan stated firmly. "There are probably more dirty agents. Not just that woman"

"I think you're right, sir", Renee agreed.

"The agents who are with Allison right now could be dirty", Ethan pointed out worriedly.

Renee bit her lower lip and nodded.

"Yes, they could", Renee agreed with Ethan one more time.

Ethan rubbed his forehead, feeling a terrible headache. He felt as if he had aged ten years in the last thirty minutes. He tried to think a solution.

"There's only one man that we know is not dirty", Ethan said solemnly. "We can ask him to stay with Allison all the time"

Renee knew exactly who he was talking about. It wasn't Jack because Jack was the national security advisor and had to do that job. But it was someone just as trustworthy.

"But he's retired, sir", Renee reminded him.

"That won't stop him", Ethan affirmed. "I know Aaron Pierce"

"All right", Renee agreed nodding.

"One more thing…", Ethan said. He paused and frowned. "I want Nathan O'Malley fired"

Renee had seen that coming. But she wasn't happy about it.

"Mr. Kanin, with all due respect. Replacing Nathan in the middle of a crisis is not a good idea", Renee argued with conviction.

"He's incompetent!", Ethan stated loudly. "This wouldn't have happened if he had done his job well".

"But…"

Ethan interrupted her sharply.

"My wife could die, and all because he failed to do his job", he argued and a lump formed on his throat. "I want him gone".

"I understand"

"Ted Hovis was fired for having moles in his team", Ethan reminded Renee. "Why should we have a special consideration for Nathan O'Malley?".

"With all due respect, Ted Hovis wasn't fired in the middle of the crisis. If you want to fire Nate after this is over…"

Ethan interrupted her once again.

"I want him to be fired now", he insisted, not giving in an inch.

Renee sighed.

"Okay", she said reluctantly.

"Keep me posted", Ethan ordered, and hung up.

He closed his eyes and rested his back against the wall, feeling very overwhelmed and scared. He had married Allison only a few months before. He couldn't lose her now. He had waited many years for her to see that they belonged together.

"_Please, God, I need more time with her"_, he silently prayed. "_We haven't had enough time together_"

In her office, Renee dialed Nathan's cell phone number.

Nathan was in the capitol, supervising the investigation, when he heard his phone ringing. He took the call as soon as he saw it was from Renee.

"O'Malley", he said.

He was in a room secret service had set where all the evidence found was being properly classified.

"Nate, is there any news?"

"Banning, Janssen, Christensen and Blane were inside the hallways, next to the second and third bomb", Nathan informed talking really fast. As he spoke, he put on globes and examined a piece of one of the bombs. "Agents Montgomery, Gillette, Cranston and Hall were the ones who tried to evacuate people through those Hallways at the exact moment of the explosion"

"Do they know anything useful?", Renee asked.

"They are all dead. Except Cody Gillette. But he's unconscious", Nathan explained. "Banning, Jassen, Christensen and Blane were supposed to clear those hallways. But it seems that they were just there waiting for the bombs to go off". As he spoke, he took a look at a report that was lying on a table. "The preliminary analysis even shows that they each had one of the bombs in their hands".

Renee was confused.

"I thought only one bomb exploded in each hallway"

"At first, we thought so too. But now we know that each of the agents had one bomb disguised as a cell phone", Nathan explained as he examined the cell phones of the departed agents.

"You think they were dirty?", Renee asked. "They were working with this Kirshner woman?"

Nathan bit his lip doubtfully.

"That's what it seems. But it doesn't make much sense", Nathan said.

"Why not?", Renee asked, intrigued.

"Western terrorist are not suicidal", Nathan stated. While he spoke, he was giving the agents' files a look. "Islamic fundamentalists believe that there's a reward in the afterlife for suicide bombers. The western culture fears death. When people like these agents become dirty it's about money. They don't usually have a cause they want to die for"

Renee nodded along as she took the information in.

"I see", she said.

"That said…", Nathan rushed to clarify. "Maybe those bombs blew up before they were supposed to by mistake and the guys didn't have time to scape"

Renee nodded along once more.

"That's probably what happened"

"Agent Gillette might know something", Nate said. "When he wakes up I'm gonna question him personally"

Renee bit her lower lip. She felt extremely awkward. She would have to tell Nathan that he was fired. She didn't say anything for a moment.

"Renee? Are you still there?, Nathan asked.

"Eh, Nathan…" Renee made a pause. "I gonna need your resignation. Effective immediately"

Nathan straightened his back in alert. He was planning to resign since he felt so guilty about the attack, but he was going to do it once the crisis was over.

"Renee, we are still in the middle of a crisis. It's not a good time to have a new director", Nathan stated firmly.

Renee felt truly sorry for him. She didn't believe it was his fault.

"I'm sorry, Nate. But it has to be now", she affirmed.

Nathan swallowed and stood stoically.

"I understand", he said. "Jerry Bradshaw should take over, then"

Jerry was Nathan's second in command, so Renee thought what Nathan said made perfect sense.

"All right", she agreed.

"Okay", Nathan said resignedly. "Tell President Taylor, when she wakes up, that's been an honor to serve her. And that I'm truly sorry"

"It wasn't your fault, Nate", Renee assured him softly.

But Nathan didn't think so.

"Goodbye, Renee. It's been nice knowing you", he told her sincerely.

"Likewise", Renee said.

They hung up the phone.

Renee remained sitting behind her desk, lost in thoughts for a moment. Then George Sullivan, Caldwell Coleman and Lynnette Lockhart walked into her office. Lynnette looked like she had been crying; her amber brown eyes were red and puffy. The men were distraught too.

"Any news about the president?", Caldwell asked.

Renee shook her head.

"Still in surgery", she told him.

"Oh, my God, Renee", George exclaimed, not being able to believe what had happened.

Renee noticed her deputy was very distressed, so she approached him and gave him a hug. She then squeezed Lynnette's shoulder in support.

"The acting president has to address the nation immediately", Renee told Caldwell and Lynnette.

"We prepared a statement on our way here", Caldwell said, always efficient, as he handed Renee the statement.

_Renee gave the statement a look._

_Meanwhile, Taylor was still in surgery. _

_At that moment, Hayworth was changing clothes and cleaning himself up. _

_Simultaneously, Marsha and Everett were behind their desk talking to the viewers. _

**09.52.01 – 09.52.02 – 09.52.03 – 09.52.04 PM**

**09.56.09 – 09.56.10 – 09.56.11 – 09.56.12 PM**

_Jack and Nora were in the bunker's version of the situation room, analyzing the information they had. _

_At the same time, Mac and Leo were watching the news from their respective hospital beds. _

_Then, a nurse wiped up sweat from Charlotte's forehead while the doctor was still operating on Allison. _

_At that moment, white house staffers were setting up a camera in the bunker's presidential office._

A few years before, after the attack on Wayne Palmer, the bunker's presidential office had been turned into a replica of the oval office, just in case the president of the United States had to address the world from there. Now a few staffers were setting up a camera, since Hayworth was about to make a statement. Renee, George, Lynette and Caldwell were also there, along with Derek Watts. But before the statement, Hayworth had to take the oath.

Hayworth walked into the office with Amber, who now knew she was her dad's only living daughter.

"Is everything ready?", he asked somberly.

Nobody had the chance to answer because at that moment, Nancy Johnson (Allison's assistant) walked into the office.

"Sir, Justice Buckholder is here", Nancy announced.

Franklin Buckholder then walked into the room. He was an associate justice of the Supreme Court. Since the Chief Justice was dead, Justice Buckholder would have to swear Hayworth in. Franklin had been chosen for the honors because he was the Supre Court Judge who could arrive the soonest to the white house.

Franklin walked into the office.

"Hi", he greeted everybody gravely.

Then Noah Wyatt, the white house official photographer, entered the office.

"Okay. Let's get this over with", Hayworth said wearily. He then addressed his daughter. "Sweetie?"

Knowing what she had to do, Amber stepped up and held a bible in front of her dad.

"Will you, please, place your right hand on the bible?", Franklin requested and Hayworth obeyed. "Now raise your left hand toward God and repeat after me. I, Mitchell Lee Hayworth, do solemnly swear"

"I, Mitchell Lee Hayworth, do solemnly swear", Hayworth repeated.

As the swearing in took place, Noah took several pictures from different angles. Renee felt a knot in her throat. She was devastated by the events of the last hour that had led to this moment. She was trying hard not to cry. George realized Renee needed support and held her hand, as Caldwell held Lynnette's hand.

Justice Buckholder prompted Hayworth to continue.

"That I shall faithfully execute the office of President of the United States", Franklin said.

"That I shall faithfully execute the office of President of the United States", Hayworth repeated. His left hand was a bit shaky.

"And I will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States", Franklin continued.

"And I will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States", promised Hayworth solemnly.

There was a moment of silence. The ceremony was over. Mitchell Hayworth was now the president of the United States. He shook hands with Franklin and exchanged a nod with Derek.

Renee stepped up and spoke with a solemn tone.

"Mr. President, you should address the nation now"

"Of course", Hayworth agreed.

Caldwell handed him the speech and Hayworth sat behind the desk.

"Five seconds, sir", a cameraman told him. "Four… three… two… one…"

"My fellow Americans and people from around the world…", Hayworth began with a somber tone. "I speak to you tonight with a heavy hart" He spoke while linking his hands together and placing his elbows on the desk. "We should all be listening to President Allison Taylor enlightening us on the state of our great union. Instead, our beautiful capitol building was attacked. Our nation has been victim of yet another vicious and cowardly terrorist attack. At this moment, President Taylor is having surgery and fighting for her life. We all wish for the best, but we don't know if she will recover. Under these circumstances I have just taken the oath of office and became the Acting President of the United States. I want to assure you, that we have the situation under control. We have absolutely no reason to fear another attack. We are obviously working hard to find those responsible for the attack". His face darkened and he continued with a severe tone. "We don't know who they are… yet. But we do know that they are cowards who deserve to pay dearly for their crimes. They will be brought to justice". He made a pause and took a deep breath. "I have been contacted by leaders of a great number of nations who offered me their condolences and offered to help in any way that they can. So I thank our friends for their support. To our enemies I say: you will not win" He hit the desk for emphasis. "We will rise once again. If we fall seven times we will stand up eight. God bless our beloved President Taylor. God bless the souls those who perished tonight" A knot formed on his throat as he thought about his family. He made a brief pause and continued firmly. "And God bless the United States of America".

**09.59.56 – 09.59.57 – 09.59.58 – 09.59.59 PM**

**10 PM**

(Please. It's really hard to write this story. Let me know what you think)


	15. Let their moms worry about their feeling

**Author's note:** Thank you very much for the support I get.

I'm still very upset by the news that Audrey will be back for 24:LAD, because it means that Jack will forget Renee ever existed. Just like that, they are erasing everything Jack and Renee had together. I'm really sad about it. My heart is broken. I never liked Audrey, not even before meeting Renee. I admit she improved on Day 5, but she never quite grew in me. Yet, my complain is not even about her, my complain is that I think Jack will forget completely about Renee. It'll be like she never existed. I really hope that I'm proven wrong when 24:LAD starts, I hope the writers find a way to bring Audrey back without erasing Renee. I hope that Jack remembers and admits to Audrey that he once had strong feeling for someone with pale blue eyes and auburn hair. I really hope there is no "I never stopped loving you" bullshit coming from him. Right now, the only thing that gives me some comfort is writing this story. At least I can keep their love alive. And I hope this story makes you guys feel better too.

**Apology: **I'm very bad with the technical stuff, so I had to make some things up about the computer programs and such. Also, since the story takes place in 2019 I imagine some new things were invented.

**Clarification:** The name Tristan Mejia (which I use in this chapter) actually appeared on Day 7. It's seen on the list of moles that Jack got from Dubaku. You can read the name in the scene where Chloe tampers with the list to help Jack. It's not said what his position was. In this chapter, I mention his as a Secret Service agent who was arrested during Day 7.

**Disclaimer:** The show's not mine. Neither are the characters. I just own the complete set of DVDs.

**CHAPTER 15:**

"**Let their moms worry about their feelings****"**

**Previously: **

A Russian Crime Syndicate led by Ivan Jacobi assisted Igor Laitanan in killing Liz Stockard and Jason Pillar; and they also helped Igor kidnap Renee. The mob works for a group of powerful people, which includes a woman infiltrated in the White House who is known by her alias, Brooke.

A group of mercenaries lead by Brendan Marson, with the help of assassin Mandy and the Russian mob, planted five bombs in the capitol building. The bombs went off as Allison was beginning the State of the Union address.

Before planting the bombs, they framed and killed Secret service agents Davis Christensen, Darius Blane, Tara Banning and Dominic Janssen. Agent Cody Gillette saw that those agents were dead before the explosion. But he remains unconscious.

Brooke told Brendan that he'll be competing with Ivan's group. The first group to kill Allison and Renee will get paid a lot of money.

Allison was immediately taken to Bethesda Naval Hospital for surgery and she's in very bad shape. If she recovers, her recovery will likely be very slow.

Vice President Hayworth lost his wife and his oldest daughter in the explosion. Renee is worried about the state of his mind. He becomes Acting President.

Nathan O'Malley suspects that Agent Melinda Kirchner is a mole, since she was the last person to check the podium, where the first bomb went off. Nobody knows yet that Melinda is indeed Mandy in disguise.

The woman known as Brooke is mad at Brendan, since Allison and Renee are not dead. Brooke tells Brendan that he has to compete with the Russian mob led by Ivan Jacobi. Whoever kills Renee and Allison first will get paid.

A corrupt agent called Dexter Brewer fixed the security cameras in the capitol building so the terrorist don't be seen.

Most of the people hurt in the explosion were taken to Sibley Memorial hospital. Leo was already there recovering from two gunshots. Senator Mac Goddard was taken there because part of the roof fell over her head during the explosion. Because of lack of rooms, she has to share the room with Leo. She calls Jack so Leo can talk to him, but Jack can't take her call.

_The following takes place between 10.00 PM and 11.00 PM, on the day of the State of the Union Address_.

**January 29th 2019 – Wednesday**

**Washington DC.**

**10.03.02 PM **

**Capitol Building **

Nathan O'Malley was trying to find his second in command, Jerry Bradshaw. He was in the main chamber of the capitol building, which was now destroyed by the explosion. There was dust everywhere. The smell of the smoke was overwhelming. There were broken chandeliers and a part of the roof that had fallen. A part of the wall behind the podium had also crumbled down. The only lights illuminating the place came from the flashlights of secret service agents.

He saw how the body of Agent Arizona Rush was put on a gurney, covered with a white sheet and removed from the scene. He tried to remain stoic, but, inevitably, a tear rolled down his cheek. The tear turned black because of the dust in his cheek. He remembered his daughter telling him, not too long ago, to ask Agent Rush out. But he felt Arizona was too young for him. Now that young and lovely agent was dead, taken away from the world in her prime.

He didn't spend much time thinking about her, though. There was no time to mourn.

"I need a 20 on Agent Bradshaw", he said through his cuff mic.

"He's in the base", someone told him, referring to the room where Secret Service had set a base for their operations in the Capitol.

"Copy that", Nathan responded, and headed quickly to that room.

The room where they had set their base was a very big room with two large tables where a bunch of System Analyst where working hard. It was intact and had a lot of artificial light. In there, he saw Agent Jerry Bradshaw talking to Dexter Brewer, their head System Analyst. Dexter was sitting down by his computer, while Jerry stood next to him.

"How is this possible, Dexter?", Jerry asked, sounding very angry.

"What happened?", Nathan asked, with concern.

"I'm looking at the images from the security cameras", Jerry explained. "They just show Banning, Janssen, Christensen and Blane and some police officers guarding hallways B and C. And then the camera is destroyed by the blast"

Nathan scratched his head.

"We know that the bombs exploded in the hands of Banning, Janssen, Christensen and Blane", Jerry continued explaining. "So, we should have images of them trying to plant the bombs and the bombs exploding in their hands. But we don't have such images. And we didn't find the bodies of those police officers or images of them leaving the hallways"

"It seems that someone set a loop so we just see the agents guarding the hallways", Dexter explained, pretending to be as puzzled as the others. "That's why nobody saw anything strange while monitoring the cameras"

"How do we proceed?", Jerry then asked Nathan, who had been too quiet. He found it strange. It wasn't like Nathan not to say anything.

Nathan put a hand on Jerry's shoulder.

"Actually, that's for you to decide, son", he told him, with sympathy in his tone. Jerry was now stuck with a very difficult task. Very hard times were ahead.

Jerry was confused, since Nathan was the Director of Secret Service, while he was his deputy.

"What are you talking about?", the younger agent asked, with confusion in his eyes.

"You've been promoted", Nathan informed stoically. He swallowed a lump of angst that had formed in his throat. "I was fired just a moment ago"

Jerry stepped back, feeling stunned. Dexter widened his grey eyes.

"What?", Dexter exclaimed, genuinely surprised. He had thought the heads would roll _after_ the crisis. He wasn't sad, though. With Nathan out of the way, everything would be much easier.

On the other hand, Jerry was crushed.

"It's not fair, sir", he said, sincerely. He shook his head. He considered Nathan a great agent. "This was not your fault".

"Yes. It was", Nathan affirmed. The guilt was consuming him. "We have traitors in the secret service and I failed to notice that".

"I didn't notice either", Jerry pointed out. He too felt like an idiot.

"But I was in charge", Nathan reminded him. Before Jerry and Dexter could protest, he gave them another piece of information they needed. "I called Agent Aaron Pierce. He'll go to the hospital to be with the president all the time"

"But he's retired", Dexter protested weakly, trying not to sound too nervous and failing.

"There are moles in our team, kid", Nathan pointed out. "But we can trust him for sure"

"Hobson and Hosking will be very offended because you don't trust them, sir", Dexter said. He was desperate to keep Agent Pierce away, since Pierce was very good and could ruin everything.

"Let their moms worry about their feelings. We are in the middle of a crisis", Nathan affirmed raising his voice.

"I agree with you", Jerry said nodding.

"Good. Because this is my last order", Nathan said. "Let Agent Pierce look after President Taylor"

"Okay", Jerry agreed. "And I guess Evan will be my deputy?", he asked just for confirmation, referring to Agent Evan McDonnell.

"Yes", Nathan confirmed. "He and Agent Pierce are the only ones you can trust". The veteran agent then decided to say his goodbyes. "Make me proud, Agent Bradshaw", he said while shaking Jerry's hand. Then he addressed Dexter. "You too, Brewer"

"We'll try, sir", Jerry promised sincerely.

Dexter simply nodded and looked down feeling guilty. He had done a terrible thing; he had betrayed his country, only to obtain money. But he had to get over his guilt and move on. It was too late for regrets.

Nathan handed his own badge to Jerry, looked at it for a moment and sadly walked away. He hated that he wouldn't be able to help out during this crisis. And what would he do without his job? His personal life had been devoured by his career. Now he had nothing left.

Jerry and Dexter watched him leave and then went back to work.

"I'll ask Chloe O'Brian to come here, to see if she can find out who set that loop", Jerry said. "She'll work with her husband on that". Then he looked around and noticed that someone was missing. "Where's Morris O'Brian?"

"He was sent to the White House to act as liaison", Dexter explained.

"Well, Chloe can find who set the loop by herself", Jerry affirmed with confidence.

Dexter became very nervous. Chloe O'Brian was amazing. She would probably discover that the loop was set from his computer. "_If she comes, I'm screwed_", he thought to himself.

"That's not necessary", Dexter affirmed really fast. "I can do it"

Jerry wasn't convinced. He thought Dexter was talented, but Chloe O'Brian was a legend.

"You have a lot on your plate. You could use her help", Jerry insisted.

Dexter then pretended to take offence.

"Are you saying I'm not good enough?" he asked, acting mortally offended.

"Don't be silly, Dex", Jerry tried to reassure him. "Cooperation between agencies is always necessary in this kind of situations"

"I understand", Dexter said weakly.

"You focus on trying to recover the information from Banning, Janssen, Christensen and Blane's cellphones", Jerry ordered him. "How long will it take you?"

"Well, the chips were damaged by the explosion", Dexter said, scratching his chin. "But I might restore the information in about half an hour"

"Good", Jerry approved with a nod. "They'll also bring you their computers. In case there's something useful in them".

"All right", Dexter said.

Jerry nodded and left rapidly.

Dexter took a seat, leaned back and exhaled heavily. He was feeling very overwhelmed. What could he do? Chloe O'Brian would revise his computer and find out he had set a loop. He was beginning to panic.

He stood up and went quickly to talk to another analyst called Ainsley Denman, Dexter's number two, who was a young woman with brown eyes and short light brown hair with blonde highlights.

"Ainsley?"

The young woman took her gaze from the computer and looked at Dexter.

"Yes?"

"I have to go to the White House to pick up something", he lied. "You're in charge"

"Can't someone else bring what you need?", Ainsley asked, confused. She found it weird that Dexter decided to leave the base in the middle of a crisis.

"No. Nathan said we shouldn't trust anybody", Dexter told her firmly.

Without waiting for an answer, Dexter took his things and left the room as fast as he could. He had to try to leave the country while he still had the chance. First he would have to go to his apartment, in Georgetown and then he'll try to leave the country driving to the north.

**10.07.54 - 10.07.55 – 10.07.56 – 10.07.57 PM **

**Washington DC. – The White House **

Jack left the bunker and headed to the office he used every day. In the antechamber of his office he saw his assistant, Ruth Carmichael, working behind her tidy desk. She stood up promptly when she saw him approaching. She handed him a sheet of paper with dozens of numbers written.

"These are the people who called you in the last forty minutes, sir", she explained, as Jack gave the long list a surprised look. "And your daughter called several times. She sounded distressed"

"I'll call her", Jack said. He guessed that his daughter was pretty scared by the recent events. "And I'll try to return some of the calls"

"Would you like coffee, sir?", Ruth offered kindly.

"That'd be good. Thank you", Jack said, knowing that he would have to stay up all night, so he would need energy. He then realized that, perhaps, his assistant didn't have the energy needed to pull an all-nighter. Not everybody was used to working as much as he was. "Mrs. Carmichael, if you need to go home, I won't mind. You can call Ashley", he said, referring to his second assistant, who had the day off.

"I'm fine, sir", Ruth affirmed sincerely.

"You started working at 6 am today", Jack pointed out.

Actually, Ruth had arrived to the white house at 5 AM. But she didn't correct him.

"You need me, sir. Ashley is new and she still doesn't know where everything is and who the key players are", Ruth stated.

"Okay. It's your call", Jack told her.

He then headed to his office and sat behind his desk. Ruth had already left a bottle of mineral water there and a sandwich, foreseeing that he could get hungry and thirsty. He smiled. He liked it how she did everything before she was asked too.

He took the phone and dialed his daughter's number.

Kim was in L.A., watching the news with her husband. The room was pretty dark. The only light came from the TV and from a lamp on a side table. Steve was also checking the social networks for information. When they heard someone was calling, Kim rushed to take the call. She grabbed the wireless phone.

"Yes?"

"Sweetheart? It's me", Jack told her.

"Dad!", she exclaimed, glad to hear his voice. "How are you? Did you get hurt?"

Kim didn't know that Jack hadn't been in the capitol at the moment of the explosion because of his hypertensive crisis. Jack decided not to tell her that, to avoid worrying her.

"I'm okay. I wasn't hurt", he assured her.

"And Renee?", she asked with concern, knowing how much Jack loved his fiancée. She sat on a green couch as she talked.

"She's fine too. She's already back to work", he replied.

"Dad… Will there be more attacks?", Kim asked. She winced as the baby inside of her kicked hard. The nervousness of the pregnant woman were transmitted to the baby.

"I don't think so. It seems that the worse has already happened", Jack assured her truthfully.

"Will President Taylor die?", Kim inquired with unshed tears in her eyes.

"Nobody knows that for sure, honey", Jack admitted.

"I really hope she makes it", Kim stated, as she caressed her belly. The baby kicked her hard once again.

"Me too", Jack whispered. He instinctively looked at a photo he kept in his office. It was a picture of himself with President Taylor. The picture had been taken on the oval office the day he was appointed National Security Advisor. "She's tough and she has the best doctors in the world. She'll probably make it"

Kim bit her lower lip, with a new concern in her mind.

"Dad… is Mitchell Hayworth a good man?"

Jack didn't really know the answer. He didn't know him well. He only knew that Renee hated Hayworth because Hayworth's inaction during the White house siege almost got Allison killed, not to mention that it had cost Bill Buchanan's life. But that didn't mean Hayworth was a bad person or that had sinister intentions.

"He means well", Jack told his daughter, to reassure her.

"And he's capable of leading the nation, right?", Kim asked, not liking the sound of that _he means well_.

"Yes", Jack replied, kind of weakly. "Besides, he has a great team backing him up".

"It's a relief knowing that you're in that team", Kim admitted. "I'm so proud of you"

"Thanks", Jack said. He half-smiled, feeling flattered by the compliment. It brought joy to his heart knowing that Kim was proud of him. "How are Steve and Teri doing?"

"Steve is okay, Just tired because he operated for seven hours on a row today. And Teri is already sleeping", Kim replied.

"Did she find out what happened?", Jack asked with concern.

"No… no.. She was already in bed", Kim replied, to Jack's relief.

"Good. She'll probably hear eventually that something really bad happened", Jack said. "Tell her that some bad guys hurt some people and that other people died, but that the bad guys will never hurt her or you and Steve. Tell her that I will always protect our family".

Kim nodded. She knew her dad always did all that he could to protect his own, even though sometimes he wasn't successful.

"You know?", she said, with her eyes sparkling with tears. "When I had to tell her that a bad woman killed my mom, Teri was scared because she thought I was gonna get killed too, so I told her that my mom is looking after our family"

A knot formed in Jack's throat. The mention of Older Teri made him emotional.

"That's true, sweetheart", Jack whispered.

"I believe she's protecting all of us. Even Renee", Kim added softly.

Jack smiled, feeling moved by Kim's words, and looked at the family photographs he had in his office. There was one of Kim with her husband and daughter; there was another one of Kim holding a newborn Teri; one of himself hugging Renee during their trip to Telluride; and there was also a picture of Renee holding little Teri with the Walker manor in the background. He adored that one. It was plain to see that Renee loved Little Teri very much. Jack believed that Older Teri watched from heaven and appreciated what Renee did for the family.

"I think you are right, sweetheart", Jack told her softly. He then cleared his throat. Things were getting too emotional for his taste. Besides, he had a lot to do. "I'm sorry, but I have to get back to work"

"Of course", Kim said, nodding. She understood that it was a crucial moment for the country and Jack had to help.

"I love you", Jack told her.

"I love you too, daddy", Kim said.

Jack hung up the phone. He then read the list of people who had called him. Mrs. Carmichael had highlighted some names, the names of the people who were the most important. One name in particular called Jack's attention: Mac Goddard. He knew Mac was a junior senator from the state of Florida. Why would a senator call him? He decided to return that call.

Mac was in her hospital bed. She felt very sleepy because of the concussion, but she was trying hard not to fall sleep. Leo kept talking to her and making her talk, to keep her awake.

"So, how come your family is not here?", Leo asked her.

"My husband and my son are in Miami", she explained. She yawned. "They went to visit my in laws because my mother in law is very sick"

"I'm sorry to hear that", Leo said.

They then heard Mac's cellphone ringing. She wasn't allowed to use the cell phone in the hospital, but nobody was around. She didn't recognize the number the call was coming from.

"Hi", she said.

"Senator Goddard?", Jack asked, for confirmation.

"Yes. It's me", Mac confirmed, wondering who it was.

"This is Jack Bauer", Jack told her. "They told me you needed to speak with me".

"Mr. Bauer, hi", she said, looked at Leo and nodded. Leo he straightened his back in alert. "Thanks for calling me back so soon. I know this is busy day for you", Mac said politely. Leo began gesturing anxiously for Mac to give him the phone. He didn't care for the well-mannered chitchat.

"It's okay", Jack said, not really used to speaking politely in such a moment of crisis. "How may I help you?"

"A man who's here with me is the one who needs to speak with you", Mac explained. "Please, wait a moment". She left the bed and addressed Leo. "It's Jack Bauer"

Since Leo had his hands handcuffed to the bed, Mac held the phone by his ear as he talked to Jack.

"Jack? It's Leo", Leo said, sounding very anxious.

Jack was shocked. He hadn't expected to hear from Leo. And he definitely hadn't expected Leo to be with a senator.

"Leo, how did the surgery go?", Jack asked with concern.

"I'll be fine", Leo assured him.

"What the hell are you doing with Senator Goddard?", Jack asked.

"It's a long story", Leo said dismissively, not wanting to waste time explaining. "What do you know about what happened?"

"Not much, yet. There were five bombs. One in the podium and the others in two of the exits", Jack replied.

"Secret Service must be compromised", Leo speculated, since an attack of that magnitude was impossible without inside help.

"Yes. It is. Right now they are looking for an agent called Melinda Kirchner. It seems like she's a mole"

"Who's protecting the president?", Leo asked worriedly. If secret service was compromised, then the president wasn't safe.

"Agents Oliver Hobson and Wallace Hosking are in the OR with her", Jack replied.

"I don't know them", Leo said, obviously distrustful. They couldn't trust anybody.

"Me neither. But don't worry. Aaron Pierce is on his way", Jack reassured him. In the past fourteen years, Aaron pierce had proven to be a very reliable man. Bur Leo didn't know that, so he didn't feel better.

"I don't know him either", he said. He winced in pain because the wound in his shoulder was hurting.

"I do. He's a good man and a great agent", Jack assured him.

"Okay" Leo trusted Jack's judgment. "Look, this must be related to what happened earlier".

"I know", Jack said. "It looks like someone is killing, or trying to kill, all the people who were going to testify against Suvarov and Novakovich".

"Are those two bastards being questioned?", Leo asked. He frowned. He was thinking about how much he hated those two Russians.

"They will be soon. Hayworth will talk to Dutch intelligence about that", Jack informed.

"Jack, those Russian gangsters I killed earlier at the construction site…"

"Yudasi and the Gudovich brothers?"

"Yes", Leo confirmed. "They worked for Liev Mastrosov", he reminded Jack. "They all had a tattoo I had never seen before. It was two swords stabbing through a heart, one side to side, one top to bottom".

"What does it mean?", Jack asked, while he took the files of those Russian gangsters.

"I don't know", Leo admitted. He made a pause. "But, since they all had it, it must mean they were members of a Russian gang"

"Would a Russian gang have only three members and a boss?", Jack wondered out loud, while he browsed through the files.

"Highly unlikely", Leo answered. "There must be more members alive. Maybe they were just a brigade part of a bigger syndicate"

"Actually, Mastrosov's girlfriend said to the authorities that Mastrosov had a boss", Jack informed him.

"We have to find the big boss, Jack. They helped Igor Laitanan for a reason", Leo said with urgency.

Jack felt rather alarmed. He could hear the desperation in Leo's voice. He sensed the thirst for blood. He could tell Leo was itching to take action and solve everything himself. Jack knew all that because he had felt the same many times, including at this moment.

"We? Aren't you in the hospital, under federal custody?", Jack asked.

"Yeah", Leo confirmed with pained resignation. He felt a sharp pain in the shoulder, which had just been operated.

"Then _we_ are not going to find anybody. The FBI will find that boss", Jack told him with his most serious warning tone. He only heard Leo gasping in pain on the other side of the line. "Leo? I'm serious"

"I know", Leo assured him.

Mac and Leo heard the door of their room opening. So Mac disconnected the call and hid the cellphone under Leo's sheets.

Agent Jeffrey Teller, FBI Director, walked into the room. He had showed up to debrief Leo. He was alarmed by what he saw.

"Senator! Please, stay away from the prisoner!", he commanded loudly.

"He needed water", Mac said as an excuse.

"He's a very dangerous criminal", Jeffrey affirmed categorically. "You mustn't get near him"

"I'm right here, asshole!", Leo instantly protested, in disbelief.

_Jeffrey and Leo exchanged angry looks. _

_Simultaneously, Dr. Charlotte Altman was operating on President Taylor's heart while a neurosurgeon tried to fix the president's injured brain. _

_At the same time, Mrs. Carmichael gave Jack a coffee. _

_Meanwhile, Dexter was driving his car, heading to his apartment. _

**10.16.02 - 10.16.03 – 10.16.04 – 10.16.05 PM **

**10.19.49 - 10.19.50 – 10.19.51 – 10.19.52 PM **

_Jack continued returning important phone calls._

_At that moment, Jeffrey Teller was debriefing Leo. _

_Meanwhile, __Ainsley Denman was trying to figure out who had set the loop on the security cameras. _

_Then, Dexter arrived to his apartment. _

He walked into his apartment and, as expected, he saw the nanny watching the news with concern.

"Hola, Lupe", he greeted her, trying his best to act cool.

Lupe was very surprised to see him. Considering what had happened in the capitol, she had assumed Dexter would have to work all night long.

"Oh, hi, Mr. Brewer", she greeted him back. "I thought you had to work all night"

"No…No… I finished for today", he lied. "Is Clint sleeping?"

"Yeah", Lupe replied, and sighed sadly. "It's terrible what happened in the capitol. Those poor people who died. And President Taylor…"

Avoiding making eye contact, Dexter simply he took his wallet and grabbed the money to pay Lupe. He wanted her to leave soon. "Terrible", he agreed. He looked down, shook his head and then handed her money. "Here's for tonight, plus some cab fare. You can go home now."

"Thank you", Lupe graciously took the money and then grabbed her purse and coat to leave. "Have a good night"

"You too", Dexter replied, feigning a smile.

He fidgeted nervously as Lupe left. As soon as she was gone, he rushed to his son's bedroom. Clinton Brewer was sleeping sweetly in the darkness. Only the night light illuminated the room slightly. Dexter caressed the child's strawberry curls and looked at him sadly. Now his son would have to spend the rest of his life hiding somewhere. Clinton's life would change so abruptly.

But Dexter didn't take much time to dwell on it. He turned on a light and opened a closet.

Little Clinton woke up.

"Daddy? What are you doing?", the five year old child asked as he sat in the bed.

"We are going on a trip, Clint", Dexter announced, trying to sound excited about it.

"To Disney World?", Clinton asked hopefully.

"Better!", Dexter started with fake enthusiasm. "We are going to Ecuador".

"What's that?", the kid asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Another country", Dexter explained, while he frenetically, put some of Clinton's things in a bag.

"Will mommy be there?", the child asked.

Dexter's eyes saddened. He stopped what he was doing and addressed his child sweetly.

"Clint, champ… mommy is not on a trip. She went to heaven. Remember?"

Clinton nodded sadly. He remembered what they had told him about his mother, and he remembered his mother being in bed and feeling sick all the time. But the child didn't want to accept the facts. Her mom had been gone for five months, but he wanted to believe she would return.

"Now…", Dexter said, "Pick your favorite book and your favorite toy"

The child began searching for a toy and a book he preferred. Dexter opened a closet and took another bag from it. Inside that bag, he had a lot of cash, fake IDs and a couple of guns. He took a 9mm semi-automatic gun, cocked it and put it in a holster attached to his belt.

**10.21.59 - 10.22.00 – 10.22.01 – 10.22.02 PM **

**Washington DC. – The White House **

Renee was in a bathroom they had in the bunker. She was cleaning herself up, to look presentable. She washed her face and looked at herself in the mirror. She still had bruises Igor Laitanan had caused her when he kidnapped her a few hours before and when he hit her with a car just a month before. Now she also had cuts in her hands from the explosion. But her suffering was nothing compared to what Allison Taylor was going through. Allison could die at any moment. Ethan Kanin was probably out of his mind. Renee's suffering also paled when you compared it with Hayworth's emotional pain. Hayworth had lost his wife and daughter in one instant. Renee wondered whether he was in the right state of mind. She probably wouldn't be.

Her assistant Zoe knocked on the door and interrupted her thoughts.

"Ms. Walker?"

Renee turned around to look at the young assistant. Zoe was carrying a bag, and Renee guessed what it could be.

"You have clean clothes for me?", she asked for confirmation. She needed new clothes because the ones she was wearing were dirty with blood from her own hands and some blood from Arizona Rush, since Renee had touched the body to try to help the agent. Besides, the clothes Renee was wearing smelled like smoke.

"Yeah", Zoe confirmed and handed the bag to her.

Renee examined the content. There was an impeccable white blouse, with a pale grey blazer and a matching skirt. There were also pantyhose and black shoes. As she put on the clean clothes, Renee decided to ask about his first assistant.

"What did you find out about Eric?", she asked Zoe with genuine concern. Renee believed Eric was a very nice young man. She hoped he was okay.

"He was taken to MedStar Washington", she informed. She swallowed and her eyes filled with tears. "He needs surgery. He hit his head pretty badly. He has a subdural hematoma. He still hasn't woken up"

Renee bit her lower lip, looked down and shook her head.

"Oh, God", she sighed. She then held Zoe's hand in support. She knew Eric meant a lot to Zoe. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He's in good hands".

Zoe just nodded looking down and sniffed. She felt so guilty. But she quickly went back to work.

"Should I update your facebook status and twitt something from your account?", Zoe asked.

Renee stared at her with surprise and confusion. She then went back to changing.

"I have facebook and twitter accounts?", she asked, as she put on the new pantyhose.

"I set those accounts for you a month ago", Zoe said, nodding. "And I manage them"

"Why do I need them?", Renee asked, now putting on her skirt.

"Ms. Nelson, Ms. Lockhart and Mr. Coleman all agreed that the public should get to know you better. They'll like the president more if they grow to like you", Zoe explained.

Renee began buttoning her blouse as she thought about it.

"Well, just put that I'm fine. I'm praying for President Taylor and the souls of those who died today. And add that everyone in the White House is working hard to get the country out of this crisis"

"All right", Zoe agreed with a nod.

Renee sighed as she put on the blazer. She wanted to be comforting. She knew that millions of Americans were distressed.

"Also, Ms. Walker… ", Zoe said. "A lot of reporters have been calling"

"I'm not talking to the press today", Renee stated firmly. Even on her best days, she hated dealing with reporters. "I don't even have that much information to give"

"Oh, they know you can't say much about the attack", Zoe assured her. "They want to know about Dr. Altman's qualifications, your opinion of her and what made you hire her"

"Tell them I feel nothing but respect for Dr. Altman. I'm confident in her abilities", Renee said, somewhat sincerely. The truth was that she didn't really know Dr. Altman that well. And, indeed, Renee hadn't hired Altman. Arthur Welton, head of the president's medical team, had hired Charlotte. But Renee had to tell the press something more comforting, the people needed to believe in the doctor operating on the president.

Once she was clean and with fresh clothes, Renee headed to the office she was using in the bunker, as Zoe followed suit. Inside the office, she saw Angie Nelson, the White House Press Secretary.

"Renee, is it true that Nathan O'Malley was replaced?", Angie asked abruptly.

"Yeah", Renee replied, while taking a seat behind the desk.

"That's not a good idea from a PR view", Angie stated bluntly while taking a seat as well. "The public needs stability from us right now"

Renee didn't disagree with her. But she didn't want to admit that she had fired Nathan because Ethan kanin had pressured her.

"But the public also needs us to address the problem at hand", Renee argued. "Secret Service failed. We have to fix what's broken"

"Fair enough", Angie said weakly. She then moved on to a different topic. "Also… I think the public would feel better if the acting president left the bunker"

Renee nodded. Hayworth being in the bunker made people think there would be more attacks.

"I was about to call Jerry Bradshaw to talk about that", she admitted. She bit her lower lip wondering whether it was safe or not outside of the bunker. She only had one way to find out. Using the phone over the desk, she called Jerry.

Jerry was in the capitol, supervising Ainsley's work. He was literally looking over the analyst's shoulder to see what she did on the computer when he heard his cell phone ringing. He took the call immediately.

"This is Bradshaw", he said.

"Agent Bradshaw, this is Renee Walker", she told him. She pressed a button to put him on the speaker, so Angie could hear what he said too. She liked to keep the press secretary on the loop. "You are on the speaker. I'm with the White House Press Secretary. Have you got anything new to report?"

"It seems to be that someone set a loop on the security cameras that were on the hallways, ma'am", Jerry replied. "We are trying to figure out who did"

Jerry took a seat behind the desk they had set for him in the room they were using as base.

"Another dirty agent", Renee sighed full of frustration. "In addition to the four that got killed. Plus Melinda Kirchner".

"Yes", Jerry said. He looked down and scratched his chin, feeling truly embarrassed. He had failed to catch all the dirty elements in his team.

"How can this be, Agent Bradshaw?", Renee asked him, frowning. "All government agencies were cleaned two years ago"

"I guess these moles became active after that", Jerry speculated, not very certain.

Renee was silent for a moment as she pondered about the situation. Two years before, on the day she met Jack, a great number of traitors inside the US. government was exposed. Maybe they hadn't exposed all the moles. Or, maybe, as Jerry said, some agents became traitors after the others were exposed.

"We have to question Sean Hillinger", Renee suggested with a firm tone.

"Who's Sean Hillinger?", Jerry asked, the name didn't ring a bell.

"He was a dirty FBI agent we caught two years ago. He was in Dubaku's mole network", Renee explained. She had never been close to Sean or his lover, Erika. So their betrayal had never felt personal to her. "He might know if there were more people in the network that we didn't catch"

"All right, I'll send someone to question him", Jerry agreed. He made a pause. "We should question the other moles we caught as well, including a Secret Service agent called Tristan Mejia". Jerry's features darkened.

"You knew him well?", Renee asked with an eyebrow raised. She sensed something in Jerry's tone.

"He was my partner", he explained sadly. He swallowed his angst. "And not just at work". He cleared his throat awkwardly.

Renee's eyes were wide opened like plates. She had not seen that one coming. She had nothing against it, but it was surprising. She didn't know what to say. Angie was also stunned.

"I see", Renee finally said.

"I wanted you to hear from me that he and I were involved", Jerry told her. "And I want to reassure you…" , he added speaking very firmly. "I had nothing to do with his treasonous activities. I had no idea"

"I believe you", Renee assured him quickly. She knew that being involved with a mole didn't make you one. She had learned that from Jack. Besides, Jerry sounded sincere. She cleared her throat. "So, have someone question those two and tell me what they say"

"Of course", Jerry agreed in an instant.

"Now, Agent Bradshaw…", she began, and exchanged a pointed look with Angie. "We were wondering if it's safe for the Acting President to leave the bunker. People would feel better if he worked from the oval office"

"I'm not here to worry about the people's feeling, Ms. Walker", Jerry said rather severely. His priority was to keep Taylor and Hayworth safe. Yet, he soon softened. "That said… there's no danger for President Hayworth inside the White House. He could leave the bunker".

"You're sure?", Renee asked.

"The place has been completely swept just ten minutes ago", Jerry stated. "It's packed with our agents. The marines are also there. Secret Service, DOD, NSA, CIA and CTU have no reason to believe there'll be an attack on the White House"

"What about President Taylor? What if someone tries to finish the job?", Renee asked with concern. She really cared about Allison. The two women had become really close since Allison hired her as Chief of Staff.

"_That_ is what worries me", Jerry admitted. "But we have fifty agents securing the hospital. DC metro police has at least a hundredth in the area. FBI and CTU have also brought agents".

"Who else is still there? Other patients?", Renee asked, guessing the answer.

"Ten critical patients, with one relative each", Jerry replied, after checking the information in the computer. "All the patients that could be moved were moved to nearby hospitals",

"What about hospital staff?", Renee asked. She scratched her neck.

"Ten doctors, fifteen nurses, a radiologist and an anesthesiologist", Jerry answered, reading the information from the computer. "Plus, twenty security guards". He made a pause, before adding more information to reassure Renee. "The OR where the president is having surgery opens with a palm recognition system and a security code. Besides, the door is bullet proof"

"Okay", Renee accepted with a nod. "I want an update in fifteen minutes"

"Of course, ma'am", Jerry agreed immediately.

Renee disconnected the call and stood up.

"I'll tell President Hayworth that he can leave the bunker. You tell the press", Renee told Angie.

Angie nodded in agreement and both women left the office.

**10.30.16 - 10.30.17 – 10.30.18 – 10.30.19 PM **

**Capitol Building – Secret Service's base of operations **

In the room where secret service had set their base, Ainsley was working. She was trying to figure out from whose computer the loop in the security cameras had been set. But she was being unsuccessful.

"Has Dexter answered the phone?", she asked, addressing a male analyst with thick glasses and short black curls.

"No. I keep getting his voicemail", the analyst replied.

Ainsley sighed with frustration.

Jerry Bradshaw then appeared in the room with Chloe O'Brian.

"Here's where we've set our base", Jerry explained. "Thanks for coming here to help us"

"I had to. You people screwed up big time", Chloe pointed out with her usual bluntness.

Jerry just cleared his throat and didn't reply. Instead, he took Chloe to where Ainsley was.

"Ms. O'Brian, this is out Field Ops Analyst, Ainsley Denman", Jerry told Chloe. He then addressed Ainsley. "This is Chloe O'Brian"

Ainsley looked like she was seeing a rock star. The brown-eyed woman had a wide smile on her face. Chloe didn't like it, but Jerry thought it was cute.

"I know", she said with excitement. She then shook Chloe's hand vigorously. "Ms. O'Brian! I'm a big fan. Very huge fan". Chloe looked a bit uncomfortable, but the other analyst was too excited to notice. "The GKL software you developed, completely changed my life"

"You're welcome", Chloe said awkwardly. So much praise made her really uncomfortable. "Look, Ms. Denman, someday you and I can have a coffee and socialize. But now I need to start working on your system". She looked around. "Where's your head analyst, Mr. Brewer?"

"He had to go to the White House to pick up something", Ainsley explained, without adding the part where Dexter wasn't answering the phone.

Chloe wrinkled her nose, finding it strange that a head analyst left his post on such a big day.

"Really?" Chloe bit her lower lip. She decided to let it go and work with Ainsley. "What program are you using to see where the loop came from?"

"Tracking Dash", Ainsley replied proudly.

"No wonder it's taking you forever to find that mole", Chloe said, to Ainsley's dismay. She quickly sat in Ainsley work station to begin her work. "You have to use Point Searcher 4.5". She sighed resignedly. She hated it when other people were incompetent. "Come here. I'll show you"

_Ainsley sat next to her and got ready to learn from the best. _

_Meanwhile, Renee, Mitchell Hayworth and Derek Watts were leaving the bunker. _

_At the same time, Dexter was driving his car, with Clint sleeping in the back seat. _

_Simultaneously, Jeffrey Teller continued interrogating Leo. _

**10.32.19 - 10.32.20 – 10.32.21 – 10.32.22 PM **

**10. 36.21 – 10.36.22 – 10.36.23 – 10. 36.24 PM**

_Mac was in her hospital bed watching Jeffrey interrogate Leo. _

_At that moment, Chloe and Ainsley were working together on figuring out who set the loop._

_Right then, Renee was entering her regular office. _

_Meanwhile, Jack was working in his office while the TV was on in a news channel. _

Jack was sitting behind his desk, reading a report about the security in Bethesda Naval Hospital. As he worked, he was listening to the news on the TV.

News Anchor Everett Winlock was giving the American people the latest information.

"Right now…", Everett said with a very serious expression. "CTU and secret service are frenetically looking for a woman called Melinda Kirshner"

Instantly, a picture of the woman everybody knew as Melinda Kirshner appeared on the screen. Jack gave it a look.

"She's 37 years old, has brown eyes, brown hair, is 5'5 and 110 pounds", Everett informed, while the photo was still on the screen.

Jack stared at the picture. Something was wrong. The woman looked awfully familiar.

"Mrs. Carmichael!", he yelled through the intercom. "Bring me Melinda Kirshner's file, now"

"I told you, you don't need to yell through the intercom, sir. I can hear you just fine", Ruth said for the millionth time.

"Just do as I said", Jack practically barked at his assistant.

"Right away, sir", Ruth told him resignedly.

Jack stood up and walked nervously around his office while waiting for the file. He had a suspicious in mind. Could it be…? It didn't seem possible.

Ruth walked into the office and handed him Melinda Kirshner's file. Jack very quickly looked at the photos of the woman people knew as Melinda. He examined the woman's features very carefully. He then knew it.

"Oh, my God!", he exclaimed, feeling stunned.

Melinda Kirshner was the same woman who blew up a plane in 2004, tried to kill David Palmer in 2005 and then helped terrorist Habib Marwan in 2010. The woman had gotten immunity and disappeared.

He left his office and hurried to get to Renee's. He was the only person, other than the president, who was allowed to just walk into Renee's office without being announced. He saw Renee there, working with Derek Watts and George Sullivan, her deputy. Renee and George were sitting together on the couch while Derek sat on a chair.

"Jack?", Renee asked, sensing that something wasn't right.

"She's Mandy", Jack abruptly told her. "Melinda Kirshner is Mandy"

Renee widened her eyes in astonishment. Not many people in the world knew about Mandy. But Renee had heard about the beautiful assassin while investigating Tony Almeida, because Mandy had kidnapped him once. Now Renee was Chief of Staff and knew even more about that Mandy woman.

"You're sure it's her?", she asked.

"I'm sure", Jack affirmed. "She cut her hair and is wearing eye contacts. But, it's her".

George and Derek didn't know what they were talking about. They didn't have the level of clearance needed to know about Mandy.

"Who's Mandy?", George asked.

"She's a professional assassin", Jack explained. "She was the one who poisoned David Palmer in 2005. And in 2004 she blew up a plane. Then in 2010 she helped Habib Marwan kidnap James Heller and his daughter".

"Why isn't she in custody?", Derek inquired.

"She was able to cut a deal", Jack replied. He frowned, full of anger. If Mandy hadn't gotten immunity, the attack on the capitol wouldn't have happened. "She got immunity and disappeared till today"

"What a minute", George said, with a doubt in his mind. He took a folder from the pile of papers and folders that were on the coffee table. He took Melinda Kirshner's file. He gave the first page a look. "Melinda Kirshner has been in the secret service for fifteen years. She can't be Mandy"

"She probably killed the real Melinda recently and took her place", Jack speculated.

"Melinda worked in Secret Service's offices in Arkansas, three years ago she was sent to South America on a special mission", Renee said, while reading the information from the file she had. "Mandy must have killed her there"

"Is Mandy even her real name?", Derek asked.

"Nobody knows for sure", Jack told him. "She used several aliases such as Miranda Stapleton and Madeleine Rothenberg. But the name in her immunity deal was Amanda Hobbs"

"I'll warn Agent Bradshaw, you warn Aaron Pierce", Renee told Jack, who nodded in agreement and left to do that. She then addressed Derek. "You brief the acting president".

Derek left quickly to do so.

**10. 39.37 – 10.39.38 – 10.39.39 – 10. 39.40 PM**

**Arlington, Virginia – N. Nelson St. and Wilson Blvd. Brendan Marson's warehouse**

Brendan Marson was with his group in a big and poorly illuminated warehouse he owned in Virginia. Drake Covington was outside guarding the door; Brendan's girlfriend, Theodora, was set behind a desk, working with a computer; His son Nolan was smoking while they waited; Mason Butcher, the bomb expert with a PHD in chemistry, was in his own work station preparing a small bomb; Brigham Dawson was loading some M16 machine guns and getting them ready. Mandy was also there, desperately trying to find a way out.

"Are you sure this is how you wanna do it, dad?", Nolan asked and then took a drag from his cigarette.

"It's the only way", Brendan affirmed.

"We should just take Andrian and his entire group off", Brigham said, always thirsty for blood.

"We can't", Brendan told him sharply. "We are only five now", he reminded him. He wasn't counting Teddy and Mason because they were useless with guns and physical confrontation. Those two were nerds who only did intelligence work and assembled bombs. "And one of us is being a big baby", he added grumpily, looking at Mandy, who just wanted to call the whole thing off and flee the country.

"Go to hell, you psycho!", Mandy told him. Brendan was keeping her hostage to make her help him complete the plan. Her priority was always self-preservation. So she wanted to leave the country while she still could. She hadn't signed on for a suicide mission.

Brendan ignored her completely and looked at Brigham again. "Ivan still has ten men left. Eleven if we count him"

"We could still take them out. All of them", Brigham insisted with a great deal of confidence.

"And then what?", Brendan asked rhetorically. He got closer to him with an angry expression. He hated it when his men disagreed with him. "How are we going to proceed with our plan without their help?". He pocked Brigham's head with a finger. "Think! We have to make a deal with them"

"Fine", Brigham groaned. He then took a cigarette from Nolan and lighted it.

Brendan looked at Mandy, who was looking at the door and appeared to be miserable.

"Oh, cheer up, Mandy", he told her, patting her shoulder condescendingly. "Everything will be okay"

"Why do you even care about completing the assignment anyway?", she asked. "You don't need the money"

"Joseph never forgives", Brendan affirmed. "If Taylor and Walker don't die, he'll kill me and Nolan"

"Bullshit. I know Brooke is your friend. She'd protect you from Joseph if you wanted out"

"I want Taylor to die", Brendan finally admitted.

"What has she ever done to you?", Mandy inquired.

"She personally? Nothing. But I have been betrayed deeply by the government", Brendan stated, his electric blue eyes moistened as he remembered his son Jesse, who had died because of the US. government. "Somebody has to pay", Brendan affirmed overdramatically.

Drake then walked through the door.

"They are here", Drake announced.

Andrian Jacobi entered the warehouse with Paul and Andrew Gecelovsky as his bodyguards.

"I see your father didn't have the guts to see me in person", Brendan pointed out, with a smirk of satisfaction, as he approached Andrian. He liked to be feared.

"Maybe he just thinks you're a crazy moron who doesn't deserve a minute of his time", Andrian replied with an angry scowl.

Nolan instantly aimed his automatic pistol at Andrian's face.

"Don't talk to my father like that!", Nolan yelled.

"Calm down, son", Brendan told him calmly, gesturing for him to lower the weapon. He then addressed Andrian. "Look, kid… We are all on the same boat here. We need Taylor and Walker dead. I have an idea and equipment to take out Taylor. You have men. If we work together, we can kill them and split the money"

"How are we going to kill Taylor?", Andrian asked, skeptically. "You want to ambush the motorcade when she's released from the hospital?". It was the only way Andrian could think off.

"We can't wait that long", Brendan stated categorically. It would be weeks before Taylor could leave the hospital. "I say we go to the hospital right now and stop the surgery"

Andrian, Paul and Andrew looked at Brendan like he was crazy.

"She has fifty secret service agents and a dozen of security guards", Andrian pointed out. "The door to the OR is bullet proof and opens with a security code and a palm recognition program. DC Metro police has set a perimeter and has one hundredth officers in a three block radius".

Brendan just stared at him blankly.

"So?", he shrugged.

Andrian stared at him back in total disbelief.

"You say that we can trespass the perimeter, neutralize fifty secret service agents and twelve security guards, break into the OR with the door that's impossible to open, kill the president and then walk out of the hospital without getting killed?"

There was a long moment of silence before Brendan responded.

"Yes"

There was silence as everybody thought about what Brendan wanted to accomplish.

**10. 44.43 – 10.44.44 – 10.44.45 – 10.44.46 PM**

**Capitol Building – Secret Service's base of Operations**

Ainsley tried to contact Dexter for the third time in the last fifteen minutes. But she only got the voicemail.

"_This is Dexter Brewer. Please, leave a message and I'll call you back"_

"Damn it!", Ainsley exclaimed with frustration.

"What's wrong, Ainsley?", asked the nerdy male system analyst with curly black hair and tick glasses. His name was Alec Harrison.

"I still can't reach Dexter", she explained and ran a hand through her hair. "I keep getting his voicemail"

"Me too", Alec told her. He sighed. "Try calling him to the White House, he might be still there"

Ainsley nodded in agreement. She dialed the number to call another agent in the white House who could help her.

"Agent Grunwald. Security checkpoint 1", Hank Grunwald said as he took the call. He was posted in the main entrance to the White House. He was sitting behind a desk with a computer, checking everyone in or out.

"Agent Grunwald? I'm agent Denman. Security code GT416"

Hank opened a data base in his computer, searched for that code and confirmed that Ainsley was, indeed, a Secret Service System Analyst.

"How may I help you?", he asked.

"I need to know if my boss, Dexter Brewer, is in the building right now", Ainsley told him.

"Hold on", Hank said. He checked the proper files in the computer. He found the information about Dexter. "Ma'am, Mr. Brewer was here today from 9 am to 5 pm. After that, he went to the capitol building"

"He wasn't there just a few minutes ago?", she asked, for confirmation. She and Alec exchanged very alarmed looks.

"No", Hank confirmed.

"Isn't it possible that he entered through another checkpoint?", Ainsley asked anxiously. She was getting truly concerned.

"All the other ones were closed after the explosion", Hank explained. "This is the only way in right now"

"Okay", Ainsley sighed with resignation. "Thank you". She rested her back against the back of her chair feeling overwhelmed. "He never got to the White House"

Chloe was working from a nearby computer and overheard the entire conversation.

"Your boss's still missing?", she asked in complete disbelief.

"I'm sure there's some logical explanation, Ms. O'Brian", Ainsley assured her.

Right then, Chloe's computer made a beep sound. She read what the screen told her. She puffed and shook her head disapprovingly.

"Here's your explanation", Chloe told the younger woman.

Ainsley read Chloe's computer screen and covered her mouth feeling horrified. Alec went to read the computer screen too and widened his eyes.

Chloe then saw Jerry walking into the room with Agent Evan McDonnell. She approached them instantly.

"The loop was set from Dexter Brewer's computer", she blurted out.

Jerry was visibly distressed. He looked at Ainsley, who was right behind Chloe and looked disturbed as well. Evan just stared down awkwardly.

"I know this is a hard moment for you", Chloe told them speaking very fast. "He was your friend. You probably feel personally betrayed. But there's no time to have feelings. We have to find him now"

"He said he went to the White House", Jerry reminded them.

"I just checked. He wasn't there", Ainsley said.

"I think he knows we caught him and is trying to flee", Chloe said.

"Okay", Jerry said, while scratching his head. "He wouldn't leave without his son". He looked at Evan. "Go to his apartment. He must have gone there to get Clint"

"Okay", Evan agreed and left to do as told.

"What car does he drive?", Chloe asked.

"A granite grey Renault Clio", Ainsley replied. "I'll alert the police"

"Of course", Chloe said with a _duh_ tone. "Are there traffic cams in his block?"

"I think so", Ainsley replied nodding.

"Well, check the feeds from the last fifteen minutes then", Chloe ordered.

Ainsley nodded. She was trying her best not to cry. She still didn't want to believe Dexter was a mole. She secretly found him very attractive.

Alec's computer then made a sound.

"Agent Bradshaw, Ms. O'Brian… You have to see this"

"What is it, Alec?", Jerry asked him anxiously, while heading to Alec's work station.

"The audio file we found in Agent Banning's computer is decrypted", he explained.

Tara Banning was one of the agents who, apparently, put a bomb in a hallway of the capitol and got killed in the process.

"Already?", Chloe asked with surprise, raising an eyebrow. She looked at the time in her wristwatch. It had taken them about half an hour. "That was fast"

"Yeah" Alec acknowledged with a nod. He bit his lower lip. "I wish I could say it's because I'm a genius. But, really, the file wasn't encrypted very deeply"

"What's in the file?", Jerry asked.

"I haven't heard it yet", he replied.

"Well, play it, would you?", Jerry urged him.

Alec then pressed a button in his computer and a brief audio file was played.

"_Yeah?", Nikolai Karkov said._

"_It's me", Tara Banning told him._

"_So, is everything ready for it?", Nikolai asked, somberly._

"_I'm always prepared", Tara stated proudly._

"_Good", Nikolai sighed. "I want her to die"_

"_She will", Tara promised. "It's a very powerful bomb"_

"_I trust your judgment", Nikolai said resignedly._

"Jesus!", Jerry exclaimed in disbelief and put a hand on his forehead. "That's the president of Russia!". He blinked quickly trying to clear his head.

"Was the woman Tara Banning?", Chloe asked for confirmation.

"Yeah", Jerry confirmed and sighed. "The White House needs to know about this".

"But we haven't authenticated it yet", Chloe protested. "This recording could be manufactured"

"Still. The Acting President needs to know we found this", Jerry affirmed.

"Fine", Chloe groaned. She then addressed Ainsley and Alec. "Start making sure that it's real". Then she addressed Jerry. "Just pray that Hayworth doesn't attack Russia before that".

"He wouldn't", Jerry stated weakly.

_Chloe walked away and started the process of authenticating the recording._

_Meanwhile, Alec and Ainsley began working on authenticating the recording._

_At the same time, Brendan was showing Andrian the schematics of Bethesda Naval hospital._

_At that moment, Jack and Renee were heading to the oval office to talk to Hayworth._

**10. 50.09 – 10.50.10 – 10.50.11 – 10.50.12 PM**

**10.55.15 – 10.55.16 – 10.55.17 – 10.55.18 PM**

_Brendan was showing Andrian his M16 machines guns and smoke grenades. _

_At that moment, Chloe was working on her computer._

_Simultaneously, Dexter kept driving his car._

_Then, Renee and Jack were talking to Hayworth and Derek in the Oval Office. _

Hayworth was extremely angry.

"Are you saying that this woman, Amanda Hobbs, blew up a plane, tried to kill a president, helped kidnap the Secretary of Defense and, yet, she got immunity in 2010?", he asked at Jack, yelling like it was Jack's fault.

"Yes, sir. That's what happened", Jack admitted with his head tall, showing no emotion.

"If she hadn't gotten immunity she would have never been able to put a bomb in the capitol today!", Hayworth yelled loudly at Jack. Since Jack had been present during the immunity deal, Hayworth was unleashing his anger at him.

Renee immediately stepped up to defend her fiancé.

"You shouldn't yell at Jack, Mr. President", she said, making an effort to sound calm. She was indeed very pissed. "Charles Logan signed the pardon, and David Palmer supported it"

"And now she blew up the capitol! This is exactly why we shouldn't give immunity so easily", Hayworth said and shook his head. "Damn it! I have been saying so for years".

"Giving her immunity was the only way to stop an attack with a nuclear missile", Jack argued firmly. 

There was a tense silence. Susan Murray, Allison's assistant, walked in.

"Sir, Morris O'Brian needs to see you urgently", she announced. "He's in the Roosevelt room"

"Okay", Hayworth sighed.

Hayworth, Jack, Renee and Derek headed to the Roosevelt Room as quickly as possible.

"Are we even close to finding that bitch?", Hayworth asked brusquely as they walked.

"No", Renee admitted. "But she won't be able to leave the country easily. All the airports are closed. And we have doubled security in the bus and train stations".

"So, if someone wanted to leave the country, how would they do it?", Hayworth asked.

"Probably by car", Renee speculated. "Switching vehicles every now and then"

Then they arrived to the Roosevelt Room. Morris was set with a laptop and a phone, so he could work as CTU liaison with the White House for the duration of the crisis.

"What have you got for us, Morris?", Jack asked him.

They all took their seats around the big table that was in the middle of the room.

"I have good news and bad, awful, news", Morris warned them. "Shall I start with the good?". The Acting President nodded, so Morris proceeded informing him. "We know who set the loop. It's the head System Analyst of the Secret Service, Dexter Brewer. We are about to find him"

"About?", Renee asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He's missing right now", Morris explained.

"Is that the awful news?", Hayworth wondered in disbelief.

"You wish", Morris told him. He cleared his throat. "Sir", he added, to be respectful. "The bad news is a recording we found in the computer of one of the dirty agents. Look…".

Morris played the recording for them to listen.

"_Yeah?", Nikolai Karkov said._

"_It's me", Tara Banning told him._

"_So, is everything ready for it?", Nikolai asked, somberly._

"_I'm always prepared", Tara stated proudly._

"_Good", Nikolai sighed. "I want her to die"_

"_She will", Tara promised. "It's a very powerful bomb"_

"_I trust your judgment", Nikolai said resignedly._

"That's Nikolai Karkov!", Derek exclaimed, stunned. "And he was conspiring to put a bomb in the capitol"

"Who's the woman?", Jack asked.

"Tara Banning. A dirty Secret Service agent", Morris replied.

"This is insane", Renee affirmed. "That can't be Karkov. Have the voices been authenticated?"

"Not yet", Morris told her. He then addressed the acting president. "Sir, my wife… I mean, Ms. O'Brian doesn't think this recording is real"

"Why not?", Derek asked brusquely , even though nobody was talking to him.

"It was too easy to decrypt the file", Morris explained. "It's like they wanted us to hear this"

"When will we know if the recording is real?", Hayworth asked.

"In about an hour", Morris replied.

Hayworth nodded and leaned back against the back of his chair, thinking about what to do next. He thought about his poor wife and his poor daughter who had gotten killed in the explosion. They deserved justice. He looked directly at Jack.

"Jack… Tell the generals to prepare different response scenarios", he ordered. "And I want to see the options in half an hour"

"Yes, sir", Jack said, dutifully. He thought that, even though the Russians could be innocent, the US had to start preparing itself, just in case the Russians were guilty.

Renee straightened her back and widened her eyes, feeling alarmed. It'd be catastrophic if the US attacked Russia and then it turned out that the Russians were innocent.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but… talking about responding right now is premature", she told him. "We don't have all the evidence"

"I want to be ready to respond as soon as we have confirmation that the recording is real", Hayworth stated with a -_don't argue-_ tone of voice.

"The recording alone is not enough…", Renee began arguing.

"Renee!", Hayworth interrupted her brusquely. He was getting truly exasperated. "Did you listen to the conversation? What more do you want? For God's sake! The president of Russia said he wants Allison Taylor to die".

"No, he didn't", Renee kept arguing heatedly.

"What?", Hayworth asked, thrown aback.

"He never mentioned President Taylor", Renee pointed out. "He said _I want her to die_"

"For crying out loud!". Hayworth exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air, feeling very frustrated. He was tired of Renee constantly disagreeing with him. He made an effort to calm down. "He was talking at the mole in the secret service. Who else you think he was talking about?"

Renee honestly didn't have a response for that. She just looked at Jack, who had said nothing to back her up. Jack was simply staring uncomfortably at his own shoes. She felt betrayed.

"I'm just saying we should be cautious", Renee insisted.

"And I'm just saying that we have to respond soon", Hayworth told her stubbornly. "They put a bomb in the capitol building, Renee".

"People demand retaliation", Derek added. "We can't take too long"

There was a moment of tense silence.

"I want to retaliate in the next six hours", Hayworth finally announced with conviction.

**10.59.56 – 10.59.57 – 10.59.58 – 10.59.59 PM**

**11PM**


	16. We Don't Do That Anymore

**Author's note:** Hi! I'm sorry it took me this long to post a new chapter. I'm SO sorry! It's truly hard to write this story, because of the real-time format and it takes a lot of time. Besides, I'm working on a lot of projects at this moment.

Thank you very much for the support I get. It's very appreciated.

I think this "episode" is kind of slow until the last scene. But I needed to fill time while some characters moved from one part of the DC. Metropolitan area to the other.

Please, leave me a review if you are reading this story. It doesn't take a lot of time. I know reading the chapter takes a lot of time, but once you make it to end the reviews only take a couple of minutes.

Follow me on twitter: LaraGCostanzo – or you can friend me on facebook Lara García Costanzo

Thanks to my good friend Brendan, who continues giving me his support and helps me.

**Disclaimer:** The show's not mine. Neither are the characters. I just own the complete set of DVDs.

**CHAPTER 16:**

"**We don't do that anymore"**

**Previously: **

Secret Service agent Dexter Brewer was exposed as a mole. He picked up his son, Clinton, and plans to leave the country.

Agent Jerry Bradshaw replaced Nathan as Director of Secret Service White House Operations. He and Renee don't know whether the moles in the Secret Service have been recently activated, or if those moles were already active the day she first met Jack. Jerry confessed to Renee that he was romantically involved with a Secret Service corrupted agent, Tristan Mejia. Tristan has been in prison since the day Renee met Jack. Renee and Jerry decide to interrogate Tristan and Sean Hillinger, another mole on Day 7.

Given that there are moles in the Secret Service, Aaron Pierce is asked to look after President Taylor, even though he's retired, because he's the only one Jack trusts.

Jack and Leo decide that they have to find the boss of the Russian Crime Syndicate that assisted the terrorists. The problem is that Leo is in custody in the hospital, recovering from his two gun shots. Jack tells him not to do anything, to let the FBI take care of it.

Jack realised that the assassin known as Mandy planted the bomb in the capitol.

Allison is still in surgery. The group of mercenaries lead by Brendan Marson planned to irrupt into the hospital and stop the surgery. They requested the help of the Russian Crime Syndicate led by Ivan and Andrian Jacobi.

Hayworth and his team were allowed to leave the bunker.

CTU found a recording of President Nikolai Karkov talking to an allegedly corrupt Secret Service agent. In the recording, he's apparently ordering the attack on the capitol to kill Allison Taylor. Renee believes the recording is fake, while Mitchell Hayworth took it seriously and ordered his team to prepare a plan to attack Russia. He wants to retaliate in the next six hours.

_The following takes place between 11.00 PM and 12.00 AM, on the day of the State of the Union Address_.

_Events occur in real time_

**January 29th 2019 – Wednesday**

**Washington DC.**

**11.04.06 PM **

Jack and Renee were standing by the main entrance of the White House. She had an expectant look on her face as she stared at the door. Jack looked deadly serious, as usual. George Sullivan was also there, scratching his chin worriedly.

"Where's Nora?", George asked directing his grey eyes at Jack.

"In the sit room. She's preparing response scenarios with the Joint Chiefs and the DOD", Jack explained. He wished he could be in the situation room too, but they had to talk to the Secretary of State first.

Renee then addressed anxiously one of the secret service agents who were in charge of guarding that entrance.

"What's the secretary's ETA, agent?", she asked.

"His motorcade just crossed the main gate", the agent replied.

"Has he heard the recording?", Jack asked Renee.

"Yeah. I sent it to him", Renee answered.

"He'll be against immediate action", Jack predicted quickly. "He's a very cautious man"

"But it's Hayworth's call", George pointed out as gently as possible.

Renee and Jack didn't say anything because they knew George was right. Renee bit her lower lip with concern, thinking about what the Acting President wanted to do. She believed it was a huge mistake and hoped to convince Hayworth of that.

They waited silently for a moment until James Heller came through the door. He had a huge bump on his head. He had been forced to stay in the hospital for a while, to run some test and make sure he was fine, but now he had been cleared to work. His beautiful assistant, Carly Forlano, was right next to him.

"Go get me the CIA report, please, dear", he told her, and Carly nodded.

When Carly left, Audrey Raines came rapidly through the door, holding a briefcase with her dad's things and a purse with her own. The 44 year old woman looked beautiful with her wavy hair longer and blonder.

Renee and Jack felt very surprised. They didn't expect to see her, since Audrey had moved to London after failing to get back together with Jack, last December.

"Hey", the blonde woman greeted everybody, feeling somewhat nervous. Her eyes were nailed in Jack's.

"Hey", Jack greeted back and gave her a tiny friendly smile.

"Audrey is here as my special advisor", James explained as he looked at Renee to see her reaction. If the red-haired woman was uncomfortable, she didn't show it.

Renee felt a bit concerned. She couldn't help but to see Audrey, who meant so much to Jack, as a threat. But she hid her feelings.

"It's nice to see you", Jack said sincerely. "I thought you were living in London"

"I am. But I came to a wedding and then this thing happened, so I wanted to help", Audrey explained. "You know how that's like".

"Yeah", Jack sighed, recalling all those times in which a national crisis had interrupted his life and turned it upside down.

"Please, follow me", Renee told them, somewhat brusquely.

She began walking and everybody followed her.

"How's President Taylor?", Audrey asked with genuine concern. She believed Allison was a remarkable woman and a great president.

"Still in surgery", Renee answered showing some sadness.

"It seems to be going smoothly so far", Jack added, reassuringly.

"Has the recording been authenticated?", James asked with a concerned scowl as they walked. He silently prayed for the recording to be fake.

"They are still analyzing it", Jack answered.

"President Karkov called to express his condolences", Renee informed James with concern. "But the Acting President hasn't called him back"

"That's okay. He shouldn't talk to him just yet", James stated, with some relief. He felt it was better to wait for more evidence before confronting the Russians.

The group then reached the center of the West Wing, where the Roosevelt Room of the White House was located, close to the Oval Office. The windowless room was named after Teddy Roosevelt and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, two presidents who had contributed greatly to the design and construction of the West Wing.

Secretary Tim Woods was sitting by a large table fit for sixteen people, located in the middle of the room. Two members of his staff were with him. He quickly stood up when he saw Heller.

"Mr. Secretary, I'm glad you are here", the younger secretary said politely to James.

"Thank you, Tim. I'm glad you were unharmed", James said sincerely in return.

"Sir, you can get settled to work here, with Secretary Woods", Renee told James.

"All right", James said while nodding in agreement.

Audrey quickly got a laptop set at the head of the table, closer to the chimney with a painting of Teddy Roosevelt hanging over it. Tim was sitting closer to the south wall, decorated with a portrait of FDR.

"What about that dirty CTU agent?", Audrey asked.

"Dexter Brewer. He was the head analyst", Jack told her. "He's currently at large"

Jack rapidly opened a file about Dexter Brewer in Audrey's computer. James and his daughter looked at the screen attentively. A picture of Dexter appeared on the screen along with some basic information about him. Reading the file, Audrey and James learned that Dexter Brewer was a 40 year old widower who had a son named Clinton Brewer. Clinton was 5 years old. Dexter had no other living relatives except for his sister, Prudence, who was single, and his father in law.

"We believe he went home to pick up his son before trying to leave the country", Renee added with her arms fold across her chest. "We are hoping to catch him there".

"Okay", James said, taking the information in. "We should see President Hayworth"

"I'm going to check those response scenarios they're preparing", Jack announced and rapidly left to the situation room.

James, Audrey, George and Renee then headed silently to the Oval Office. They reached the antechamber, which was a bit crowded. Allison's assistants, Nancy and Susan, were working along with Hayworth's. But nobody knew which set of employees held the highest rank. The situation was a bit chaotic. Nancy then stood up as soon as she saw Secretary Heller.

"Mr. Secretary, I'm glad you're all right. He's ready for you", she said.

"Thank you", James told her.

"I see there are too many hands here", Renee pointed out. "Susan, you should go home. We'll need you well-rested tomorrow morning". She then looked at one of Hayworth's assistants, the older one. "You too"

"Yes, ma'am", Susan agreed, not having a choice.

"Yes, Ms. Walker", Hayworth's oldest assistant said almost at the same time.

James, Renee, Jack and Audrey stepped into the Oval Office. Mitchell Hayworth was there with a few advisers, including his chief of staff, Derek. There was also a White House maid kneeling in front of the presidential desk, trying to pick up Allison's dog.

"Come on, Fox", the maid said. "Come here, boy"

"Is something wrong?", Renee asked, looking at the Fox Terrier under the desk.

"They need to take him to the residence to feed him, but he won't move", Hayworth explained. "And he won't let anybody pick him up". He then addressed the maid. "It's okay. Just bring him the food here. He's not bothering anybody".

The puppy was simply lying under the desk, looking depressed.

The maid left with a polite nod, to do as ordered.

Hayworth then addressed James.

"I'm glad you could finally join us, Jim", he said, somewhat sarcastically. He didn't hide how annoyed he was for James's lateness.

Audrey frowned and crossed her arms in front of her chest. But nobody bothered pointing out that James was late because he had to go to the hospital, since his head was hit pretty badly in the explosion. They knew Hayworth didn't care anyway.

"I'm deeply sorry for your loss, sir". James said, sincerely. He felt bad for Hayworth, who had lost a wife and a daughter. James himself had buried two wives, and the Chinese had once made him believe that Audrey was dead. So, he was no stranger to big amounts of pain. He pitied the man in front of him. "If you ever need to talk about it, you can turn to me".

"Thank you", Hayworth whispered sadly and looked down. He swallowed, trying to stay strong.

Then the secretary went straight to the point.

"Mr. President, I think preparing ourselves to retaliate is premature", James affirmed with confidence. "The recording could have been manufactured".

"I knew you'd say that", Hayworth told him, rubbing his own forehead in frustration. "We are not going to retaliate yet. We are simply making preparations. Just in case the Russians turn out to be guilty and we need to strike back". He shrugged like saying _what's the big deal?_ Then he sat behind the presidential desk and caressed the arms of the chair.

James took a seat on the other chair by the desk. The others formed a semi-circle behind him to observe the conversation.

"If the Russians find out that we are making such preparations, they'll be forced to make preparations of their own. Things could escalate pretty quickly", James explained.

"They are already at the brink of a way with Kamistan, sir", Renee reminded him gently but strongly. "Any action in that part of the world might affect that conflict in a negative way".

James made a gesture towards Renee like saying _exactly!_

Hayworth raised his eyebrows. He didn't like it that the White House Chief of Staff and the Secretary of State were united against him. He didn't like it at all. _He _was, after all, the acting president.

"And we will look really bad if they turn out to be innocent", Renee added, as James nodded in agreement.

"That's enough", Hayworth exclaimed, clearly pissed. "Sooner or later, we will confirm that Karkov was behind the bombing of the capitol and the attacks of last May. And when that moment inevitably comes, I want to be ready". He was sure that Nikolai Karkov was killing, or trying to kill, those people with information about the Russian conspiracy responsible for the attacks of last May; and Karkov was apparently doing so because he had been a part of the conspiracy all along.

Derek then decided to give an idea of his own.

"We might want to talk to Dalia Hassan, sir", he suggested. "Her intelligence services have been investigating Omar Hassan's death for the past eight months. She might know something we don't".

Renee and Jim Heller exchanged alarmed looks. Jim then looked back at Hayworth.

"Sir, if you tell Dalia Hassan that Karkov was behind her husband's murder, she definitely, undoubtedly, will go to war with the Russians", Jim affirmed categorically. "And it could all be for nothing"

Hayworth remained silent for a moment. Everybody stared at him expectantly. He didn't know what to do or say. He was a man full of doubts. He wanted to avenge the death of his wife and daughter, more than anything. But he didn't want to cause a war if Karkov was innocent. Was Karov innocent? Hayworth didn't think so. But what if…?

"Sir?", Renee said with urgency in her tone, interrupting Hayworth's thoughts.

Once again, Hayworth rubbed his head with frustration.

"Okay", he finally conceded. "We won't talk to Dalia Hassan… for now". He waved his finger at Renee in a threatening manner. "But I want those responses scenarios in ten minutes. No more"

**11.10.46 – 11.10.47 – 11.10.48 – 11.10.49 PM **

**Washington, DC. Capitol Building **

Chloe O'Brian was in the base of operations Secret Service had set in the Capitol Building, since CTU had to cooperate with Secret Service. She was sitting in front of a computer. Jerry Bradshaw, recently appointed Secret Service Director, was standing behind her, while Ainsley Denman, a system analyst, was sitting next to Chloe.

Chloe was talking over her Bluetooth with CTU Agent Carter Everton. He was Director of Field Operations, Chloe's number two. Whenever she talked to Carter, Chloe was reminded of Jack. Carter used to be the general director of CTU DC, but it turned out that he couldn't stand life in a cushy office, without working in the field.

At that moment, he was examining Dexter's apartment along with other agents, finding no trace of the corrupted analyst.

"He's gone", he informed, unsurprised, through his own Bluetooth. He quickly started searching the master bedroom, in case there was a clue.

In the capitol, Ainsley was watching feed from the security cameras in Dexter building.

"The security cameras show that he left with his kid at 10.25", Ainsley announced. "He's driving a blue Volvo. License 846-DMD"

"Follow the car with traffic cams, to see where he left", Chloe ordered.

_She stood behind Ainsley to observe how the younger woman worked. _

_At the same time, Jack was in the situation room talking to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. _

_At that moment, James and Hayworth were still talking in the Oval office. _

_Meanwhile, Renee was looking at the Acting President with concern. _

**11.12.33 – 11.12.34 – 11.12.35 – 11.12.36 PM **

**11.16.49 – 11.16.50 – 11.16.51 – 11.16.52 PM **

_James Heller and Audrey were in the Roosevelt room, doing their respective jobs. _

_In the interim, Jack was still in the situation room, discussing response scenarios with Nora McNally. _

_Meanwhile, Hayworth rested his back against the back of his chair, looking deep in thought. _

_Then, Chloe and Ainsley were making progress thanks to the traffic cams. _

"I've got an address", Ainsley announced. Chloe approached her and looked at her computer screen. "He left the building, drove for about ten minutes. He abandoned his car in Arlington. Here", Ainsley explained, while pointing at a spot in the map of Virginia they had in the computer.

"Where's he know?", Chloe asked with a scowl. She was so sick of dirty agents such as Dexter.

"Our drones show him entering that furniture store, in Danville St. 937", Ainsley answered, showing a furniture store located five blocks away from the place Dexter had left his car.

Chloe checked something on her computer. She rapidly called Carter Everton, via her Bluetooth.

"Everton", Carter said, taking the call. He was still gathering evidence in Dexter's apartment while other agents interrogated the neighbors, who were stunned to learn Dexter had done something grossly wrong and illegal.

"Agent Everton, we have Brewer. He's in a furniture store, in Arlington", Chloe informed. "Danville St. 937".

"I'm ten minutes away", Carter told her, as he got ready to leave. He couldn't wait to get his hands on that little traitor.

"Yes. But Virginia PD has a team closer", Chloe said, reading information from her computer screen.

"So, what do you want me to do, Ms. O'Brian?", Carter asked.

"Go to CTU and get ready to interrogate Brewer there. Virginia PD will take him", Chloe said, and then she drank a bit of water. "I'll meet you there".

"Okay", Carter agreed.

**11.18.04 – 11.18.05 – 11.18.06 – 11.18.07 PM **

**Washington DC. The White House. **

**Situation Room**

In the situation room, at the White House, Mitchell Hayworth was discussing the response scenarios with his team. Derek, Renee, Jack and Nora were there. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was also present; with the vice Chairman. CIA director, Matt Anderson, was there as well. Everybody was looking at Hayworth, who was visibly unhappy.

"Is that what you call a retaliation?!", he yelled, full of outrage. "Just attacking a Russian military base in the border with Kamistan?"

"_And_ an Airforce base located 31 km northeast of Moscow.", Jack pointed out, firmly but gently.

"That's nothing!", Hayworth protested loudly. "They'll rebuild those bases in a few months"

"Sir, those bases are high value targets", Renee argued strongly. "Losing them, even if only for a couple of months, will truly hurt them. Especially now that they are fighting Kamistan over that oil deal"

Hayworth then looked angrily at Derek.

"You think I should go with this too?", Hayworth asked him, raising his voice.

There was an awkward silence while Derek thought what to say. He had an opinion, but Hayworth wouldn't like it.

"It's a proportional response", Derek finally muttered awkwardly.

"They blew up the capitol!", Hayworth reminded everyone. "I don't want to give a proportional response. I want to cause a total disaster". He banged the table with his fist for emphasis. His face was red with anger. His wife and his oldest daughter had perished during the attack, so he wanted to avenge their deaths.

Nobody spoke for a moment. Everyone exchanged concerned looks.

"We don't know for sure that they are guilty", Renee finally said.

"I know. I know", Hayworth admitted, rubbing his forehead with an elbow on the table. He was feeling very frustrated. He then stared at Renee with a deadly-serious face. "But once we have more proofs we will retaliate with a _dis_proportional response"

**11.19.15 – 11.19.16 – 11.19.17 – 11.19.18 PM **

**Arlington, Virginia. **

**Furniture store at Danville St. 937**

In the basement of a furniture store, a man called Simon Garland was taking a picture of Dexter to make fake documents. Dexter was standing with a white background behind him. Simon took a couple of pictures and was satisfied with the results.

"Now the kid", he groaned.

Dexter woke up Clinton, who was sleeping on a bed they had in the basement.

"Hey, Clint, they need to take a picture of you", he told him, sweetly.

The kid nodded and obediently stood in front of the camera, still feeling sleepy.

"He better get used to his new name", Simon told Dexter.

Dexter thought the other man was right.

Simon took the photos of the child and started downloading them to a computer, which was on a desk next to the bed.

Dexter then took the kid, made him sit in a chair and kneeled in front of him to have a serious conversation.

"Kiddo, remember how we are going to live in Ecuador from now on?", he asked. The child nodded.

"Actually", Simon interrupted, while sitting by the computer, as he manufactured the fake documents. "There's been a change of plans. You two are going to Cuba"

"Why?", Dexter asked, alarmed.

"The route to Ecuador has been compromised", Simon explained.

Dexter remained silent, for a moment. He didn't see much difference. It didn't matter where he ended up. He was going to leave his home either way. He felt awful. But he put on a brave face anyway.

"That's great! Cuba is really beautiful", Dexter said, and forced himself to smile at his son. He then had to tell Clinton about the change of name. "You know what, son? We are going to have new names too", he informed, trying to sound cheerful, to get Clinton excited about it.

"Why?", the kid asked, with disappointment in his little face.

"Because our lives will be different, so our names should be too. Okay?", Dexter said, feeling sad for his son, whose whole life had been disturbed. "You'll be Alex White and I'm gonna be Malcom White"

"Alex was mommy's name", Clinton pointed out, and bit a fingernail.

"Exactly!", Dexter said, trying to sound truly excited, for the kid's benefit. "So, now that your name is Alex too, mommy will be even closer. A part of her will always be with you"

With tears in his eyes, Dexter hugged his son really tight. He sat on the chair with Clinton in his arms. The kid rested his head in his dad's shoulder.

"Will Aunt Pru visit us?", the kid asked, hopefully. He adored his fun aunt Prudence.

Dexter's heart ached. They would never see his sister Prudence again. But he couldn't bring himself to tell his kid that.

"Maybe", he lied. "Now try to go back to sleep, buddy", he told the child with a calming voice. "Before you know it, we'll be at a sunny white beach, with crystalline water".

"Okay, daddy", the kid said groggily and closed his eyes.

"So, how will this work?", Dexter asked the other man.

"You'll have to stay here a couple of days. Then I'll take you to Miami in my trunk, since I have to deliver some furniture. Once there, a friend of mine will take you to Cuba in his boat", Simon explained dryly. "He'll need 30 grands. Upfront"

"That's not a problem", Dexter stated.

When they least expected it, they heard the front door of the store being broken.

"Idiot! They followed you!", Simon yelled madly at Dexter.

"That's impossible", Dexter exclaimed in disbelief.

Six heavily armed police officers suddenly busted open the door of the basement and launched themselves into it with their guns ready. The group included officers Zackary Bridges and Pamela Cortez, who had been at the airport that morning investigating Jason Pillar's death.

"Police! Freeze!", Zack yelled.

Not willing to give up, Simon took an M16 machine gun and fired at Pamela Cortez. She got a bullet in the head and died instantly, but Simon was also shot dead immediately by Zack.

Dexter raised his hands in surrender, not seeing another choice. Two officers held him and brusquely handcuffed him. Clinton was crying and hiding under a table, feeling truly scared.

"Daddy! Daddy!", the kid yelled desperately. He tried to go with his dad, but an officer held him. The kid tried to fight the officer in vain.

"It's okay, Clint", Dexter said, trying to sound reassuring. "It's all right. It'll be all right".

Zack Bridges talked over his com device.

"Suspect in custody", he announced. "A male hostile is down". He made a pause as he looked sadly at Pam Cortez's body. "And Officer Cortez is down too". He stared sadly at his partner's body, thinking about how unfair life was.

_Dexter was taken to a police car outside the house. _

_At the same time, a sobbing Clinton was taken to a different police car. _

_Meanwhile, Carter was driving his car, heading to CTU. _

_At the same moment, President Hayworth was still in the situation room with his team. _

**11.22.20 – 11.22.21 – 11.22.22 – 11.22.23 PM **

**11.25.29 – 11.25.30 – 11.25.31 – 11.25.32 PM **

_Dexter was in the back car of a police car, being taken to CTU_

_At that moment, Clinton was in the back of a different police car that was taking him to the police station. _

_In the interim, Jack was working with Nora and Hayworth in the situation room. _

_Meanwhile, Renee was in her office, sitting behind her desk, and rubbing the back of her neck to relieve the tension. _

There wasn't much she could do, at the moment. She just had to wait for CTU to analyze the tape and get Brewer. And she had to wait for the team to come up with a response scenario. _What if they come up with a response Hayworth likes?,_ Renee wondered, feeling a bit afraid of what could happen.

Her assistant, Zoe, walked in, interrupting Renee's thoughts.

"Ma'am, Ms. Raines needs to see you", Zoe announced.

Renee nodded and stood up promptly. Zoe left and, then, walked back into the office with Audrey.

"Can I get you anything?", the young assistant offered.

"I'd like a coffee, please", Audrey said.

"Make that two", Renee gently ordered her assistant, and Zoe left quickly to get the beverages.

Audrey looked around, feeling slightly uncomfortable. The first thing she looked, out of curiosity, were the four college degrees displayed on a wall. Two of them had the logo of Princeton University. One said '_Bachelor of American studies_' and the other said '_Bachelor of Eurasian and Russian studies'_. There were also two degrees from Columbia University. One said '_Master of Business Administration_' and '_Master of International Affairs_'. Audrey was extremely surprised. She didn't expect a former FBI agent to have such degrees. Audrey herself had a M.A. in Public Policy, from Brown University and B.A. in English, from Yale.

"Please, take a seat", Renee invited, gesturing towards the salmon velvet couch. She herself took a seat in one of the matching chairs.

"Last time I came to the White House, this was Walt Cummins's office", Audrey commented as she sat down on the large couch. She recalled having sex with Walt in a hotel, but she only did that because she thought Jack was dead and she didn't know Walt was a traitor. She didn't continue the affair because she never stopped loving Jack. She sighed. "It feels like it happened in another life".

"It really does", Renee agreed, nodding.

"Can I tell you a secret?", Audrey asked, leaning a little bit forward. Renee encouraged with a nod. "I always wanted this office for myself. Any office in the west wing, actually".

"I understand", Renee said with a smile. "I wanted to work in this building since I was ten"

Audrey was genuinely surprised to hear that.

"And, yet, you became an FBI agent", she pointed out, with obvious curiosity in her tone.

"Long story", Renee said dismissively. She didn't want to talk about 9-11, Jimmy's death and how those tragic events changed her forever. _But now Jack brought me back, _she thought.

Zoe walked in with two cups of coffee. She put them on the coffee table after Renee moved the folders and papers that had been resting over it. Renee took a sip of the black liquid. Audrey looked down at the hardwood floor, nervously.

"Look…", Audrey began saying. She then looked at Renee. "I know I'm not your favorite person in the world". Renee opened her mouth to protest, but Audrey raised a hand to stop her. "Don't… I understand. I tried to steal Jack from you. But I know that I was wrong. He's obviously very much in love with you". Her hazel eyes sparkled with tears she didn't shed. She felt a knot on her throat. It was very difficult to admit that Jack's heart now belonged to somebody else. "So, I'm sorry"

"It's all right", Renee said, reassuringly. She didn't hate Audrey anymore. She felt sorry for the other woman.

Audrey took a tissue from her pocket and wiped tears from her eyes, trying to put herself together. If she hadn't been abducted, she and Jack would be together. Because of what the Chinese did to her for six months, Jack let her go and met somebody else. It was all Cheng Zhi's fault.

"I noticed he's made a lot of progress since he's with you", Audrey admitted with her heart aching. Renee looked confused, like she didn't know what the other woman was talking about. "He really changed".

Even though Audrey meant it as a compliment, Renee was slightly uncomfortable with the comment. She never had any intention of changing Jack. She took a spoon and stirred the coffee, feeling a bit awkward.

"I don't know", she muttered.

"He has", Audrey affirmed. "When he was with me, he also had a cushy job and a normal life, but he threw all that away in a second to go out and be a field agent again", she said sadly. _Did he ever really love me?_, she silently wondered. "But now, there's a crisis and he's still here. He's not back in the game. He learned his lesson". She sighed, feeling defeated, shaking her head. "I don't know how you did it, but you… broke him"

Renee was troubled by those words. She knew Audrey meant them as a praise, but Renee didn't like the idea of _breaking_ Jack at all. She loved him just the way he was. Not knowing what to say, she merely cleared her throat.

"You and I probably shouldn't talk about Jack", Renee muttered.

"You are right", Audrey agreed.

Renee sighed and changed the subject.

"So, Audrey…", she said. "What did our ambassador in Moscow say?"

"He just sent his condolences and offered to help", Audrey answered.

"If only we had more information about Karkov's activities in the past few months", Renee sighed.

Audrey then thought of an idea.

"Renee… I do know a Russian we can trust", she said. "The FSB director, Tatiana Fedorova".

The FSB was the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. Renee raised her eyebrows, surprised.

"You know her well?", she asked the other woman.

"Very", Audrey affirmed with a nod. "I met her in grad school because she went to Brown, with me. In 2012, she worked for the SVR, spying on the Chinese. I turned to her when I was trying to find Jack after he was abducted". She paused and tried not to tear up as she remembered the day of Jack's kidnapping. "She actually found out the location of the secret prison where Jack was, but the Chinese kidnapped me before I could do something about it".

There was an awkward pause.

"How do you know she didn't set you up?", Renee finally asked. She trusted no one but Jack and President Taylor.

Audrey chuckled, finding the idea ridiculous.

"The Chinese didn't need anybody to set me up. They found me because I went to China in a commercial flight, using my real passport. And I never even thought of not using my regular cellphone or a wig, or anything like that", Audrey explained. She swallowed a lump on her throat. "I was so stupid".

Renee held her hand, to offer some comfort.

"You are not stupid. You are simply not trained for a rescue operation like the one you tried to pull off", she said to a distressed Audrey.

"I had to try", Audrey stated. "Nobody else was doing anything. I was all Jack had"

"I understand", Renee told her. She would have done the same thing. Of course, since she was a trained FBI agent, things could have been different.

"Anyway, I can talk to Tatiana in confidence", Audrey said.

"Tell her that if Karkov finds out about Hayworth's suspicions, it'd be very bad for both countries", Renee stated.

Audrey nodded. She left and walked all the way to the Roosevelt room. Her father was there, working with Secretary Woods.

"Dad, I told Renee I'd call Tatiana Fedorova to find out more about Karkov", she informed.

"Good idea", Heller approved with a nod. "But I also need you to go to Bethesda Naval Hospital"

"Why?", Audrey asked, with confusion and surprise.

"Because someone should brief Ethan Kanin, in person. And I want someone to give me real-time updates on what's going on with President Taylor", he explained.

"All right", she agreed.

Heller softened and got closer to his daughter, he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Is it too difficult for you, working with Jack and Renee?", he asked, with concern.

"I'm fine", Audrey assured him with a smile.

**11.30.34 – 11.30.35 – 11.30.36 – 11.30.37 PM **

**Bethesda Naval Hospital**

Ethan Kanin was sitting in a wooden bench, in a waiting area of the hospital, just outside the OR. He was impatiently waiting for news about his wife. The area had been sealed just for him. He was there with his secret service agents, Hoyt Pulley and Dustin Hayes. Then Ethan's personal assistant then appeared with a cup of coffee. She was a chubby black woman, in her mid-forties, with kind of masculine features and thick glasses. She handed the cup to her boss.

"Thank you, Gina", Ethan said gloomily. "You don't have to stay with me all night. You can go home"

"But I want to be here, sir", the assistant reassured him.

Gina observed him staring down at his coffee cup sadly. She was also distraught because of the situation. She was fond of Ethan and Allison. She wanted to help doing whatever she could. Before Ethan became the First Gentleman, she worked for Henry Taylor. She used to be Henry's secretary when he practiced law and continued working for him when he became First Gentleman. When the Taylors divorced, Gina had chosen to stay in the White House. It took about a year and a half for Allison to remarry. During that time, a cousin of Allison had fulfilled the First Gentleman's duties.

Ethan drank same of his coffee. He felt like he had aged ten years all the sudden.

Unexpectedly, his oldest niece, Millicent, came quickly through the door. Her daughter Rachel, who was thirteen years old, was with her.

"Uncle Ethan!". Millicent exclaimed, clearly distraught.

"Millie! Rachel!", Ethan exclaimed as he stood up to greet his niece and grand-niece. He hugged them tight.

"I can't believe this is happening", she said while they hugged. Tears clouded her olive-green eyes. She knew Allison made Ethan really happy and that he'd be truly devastated if his wife didn't survive. "How is she doing?"

"She's still in surgery. They are simultaneously operating her heart, her lungs and her brain", he explained.

Millicent gently took his hand and led him to the bench so he could sit down. She took a seat next to him and rubbed circles on his back to comfort him.

"Is Aunt Ally going to die?", Rachel asked, with her eyes wet.

"I don't know, sweetie", Ethan admitted, with his voice breaking. His chest was hurting.

"I bet she'll be fine", she said, but she wasn't very confident.

"Mrs. Lawson, would you like a coffee?", Gina offered politely.

"Yes, please. That'd be great", Millicent said with a tiny smile.

"What about you, Rachel? Can I bring you anything?", Gina asked, with a comforting smile.

Rachel shook her head. Gina nodded and left to get coffee for Millicent.

"How's Corey?", Ethan asked.

"He's with Calvin. The kid's worried about his Auntie Ally", Millie replied. "He made her a drawing"

Millicent took from her purse a drawing his six year old son had made. Ethan looked at it and his lips curbed up in a tiny smile. It was a cute childish picture of Allison with Ethan and Corey in the Oval Office. It made Ethan chuckle because, in the drawing, Allison looked extremely tall, way taller than the others. It was obvious that the child considered her towering.

Millicent held his uncle's hand to show support, which Ethan appreciated.

"I can't lose her now, Millie", Ethan said with desperation in his eyes. "We haven't been married for a long time. We need more time together". He sniffed. Millie offered him a tissue to he could wipe the tears from his eyes. "All I want is more time with her".

"I know", Millie said, her eyes were full of compassion.

She knew her uncle had fallen in love with Allison at first sight. He had loved her for many years. But now he was finally with her, he could lose her forever. Why was life so cruel?

"Would you pray with me, girls?", Ethan asked.

"Of course", Millie agreed promptly.

"Let's pray for Allison and for this country", Ethan suggested.

The three of them kneeled down on the floor.

"Please, God… help my dear Allison", Ethan begged, with desperation. "Don't take her with you, please. Guide the doctors' hands so they can save her life. And guide Mitchell Hayworth in these difficult times so he can do what's best for this country"

Millcent observed her uncle and felt truly sorry for him. Rachel had tears in her eyes.

**11.33.14 – 11.33.15 – 11.33.16 – 11.33.17 PM **

**Washington DC.- White House – **

George Sullivan left his office, which was next to Renee's, and saw his personal assistant, Emma Crewson. She was working behind her desk, right outside the office of the Deputy Chief of staff.

"Emma, has the FBI sent someone to act as White House Liaison yet? I need to talk to him", George asked.

"Why does he have to be a him?", Emma inquired, pretending to be offended. In reality, she was just trying to lighten the mood by teasing George.

He just rolled his eyes.

"Has Jeffrey Teller sent someone or not?"

"No. Not yet", Emma said. "But the Liaison is on his, or her, way"

"Fine", George exhaled, anxiously.

"Have you even eaten something since lunch?", Emma asked him.

"No", George admitted, weakly.

"You are too thin, George", Emma scolded him lightheartedly.

"Okay, _mom_", he said, playfully.

"Actually…", Emma said, as she took a bag with a couple of sandwiches from under her desk. "I just had someone bring a sandwich for you and another one for Nora"

George smiled at his assistant. They loved each other like siblings. Emma had been working for him since his tenure as Senator Caleb Holloman's Chief of staff, between 2009 and 2017. She followed George when he moved on to the White House to work for Rob Weiss. She always knew what he needed.

"Thank you", he said, while taking the bag.

"Don't forget this…", Emma said, while handing him two cokes.

George took the cokes and left quickly. He passed by Renee's office, and then walked through the main lobby of the west wing. He walked down a hallway until he reached Nora's office, which was next to Jack's. He saw their secretary, Ruth, working in the outer area of the offices.

"Mrs. Carmichael, is Nora in her office?", he asked.

Ruth gave him a tiny smile, noticing that George had brought Nora some food. She thought he was a sweet young man.

"Yes", she replied. She then pressed a button in her intercom to talk to Nora McNally. "Colonel? Mr. Sullivan is here to see you".

"Send him in", Nora requested, promptly.

George walked into the office. Nora was sitting on a black leather couch, reading a report regarding the position of Russian troops. She looked impeccable, wearing a dark-green wool dress, designed by Armani. It had a V neck and cap sleeves. Her blonde hair was neatly tied up in a coil.

"Hey", he greeted her with a tiny smile.

"Hey", Nora greeted back. She stood up and kissed him softly on the lips.

"I brought you something", George said casually, and handed Nora a bag with a sandwich.

"Thank you. I appreciate it", Nora said, with a smile. "I haven't eaten anything since lunch".

They sat on the couch and began putting mayonnaise on their sandwiches.

"So, George…", Nora said, looking at him through the corner of her eye. "Is the dirty CTU agent in custody?"

"I'm not supposed to discuss that with anyone", George told her, feeling very uncomfortable.

"I just want to be well-informed to do my job", Nora claimed casually. She took a bit of her sandwich, which had tuna and cheese. He wished he could tell her.

"I'm sorry. But only very few people can know the details of the investigation", George explained, and took a sip of his coke.

"So, I guess you can't tell me whether the recording has been proven real or not", Nora said, with visible disappointment in her beautiful face.

"I can't. I'm sorry", he said, and he bit his lower lip, clearly hating to disappoint Nora.

"George, you can trust me. You know that", she assured him, holding his hand and rubbing circles in the back of his hand.

"I know", George sighed, looking down at his hand, which was linked to Nora's.

"I just want to know we are not making preparations to attack an innocent country", she said, while caressing George's tight and getting a bit closer to him.

"The analysis of the recording was inconclusive", George finally admitted, not being able to resist Nora's charms. "We don't know whether Karkov is truly behind the attacks or not. Renee seems to think he isn't".

"So, who is?", Nora asked.

"We are working under the assumption that today's murders and the attack on the capitol happened because the victims had information about Omar Hassan's murder that implicated Suvarov and Novakovich", George told her. He looked down, at his hands. He felt extremely guilty. He shouldn't be giving Nora that much information. Renee was going to kill him, if she found out.

"But Suvarov and Novakovich are isolated in prison", Nora reminded him. "How could they orchestrate the murders and the attacks?"

"We believe there were more people involved in Hasan's assassination", George admitted. "And those people are trying to keep the truth from coming to light"

"What about the dirty CTU agent, Dexter Brewer?", Nora asked.

"He's in custody. They are taking him to CTU for questioning", he replied.

"Thank you for trusting me, baby", Nora whispered. She put her sandwich and George's on the coffee table. She kissed his lips.

_Nora and George made out passionately on the couch. _

_Meanwhile, Renee and Audrey were still working in Renee's office. _

_At that moment, Jim Heller and Mitch Hayworth were working together in the oval office. _

_At the same time, Jack was busy working in his office._

**11.35.02 – 11.35.03 – 11.35.04 – 11.35.05 PM **

**11.37.49 – 11.37.50 – 11.37.51 – 11.37.52 PM **

_Hayworth stood by the window of the Oval Office looking deep in thought. _

_Simultaneously, Heller went back to the Roosevelt room. _

_At that moment, Ethan and Millie waited together for news about Allison. _

_At the same time, Renee was leaving his office, heading to Jack's. _

In the outer chamber of the Chief of Staff's office, Zoe was busy doing her job, as usual. Renee approached her.

"Zoe, I'll be in Jack's office if you need me", she told her, and then she walked away.

She walked through the main lobby of the west wing and down a hallway until she reached Jack's office. She was the only person who could just walk into Jack's office, unannounced. Mrs. Carmichael looked at her and nodded approvingly. So, Renee opened the door and stepped into the office.

Jack was working, sitting behind his desk. He looked up and gave Renee a tiny smile.

"Hey", he greeted her.

"Hey", she greeted back. She took a seat in the chair across from him, in front of his desk. "So, Jack… Are you and Nora going to suggest a more drastic response?"

"That is what the President ordered us to do", Jack reminded her, gently. He was resigned.

"I know", she said, understandably. "What have you came up with?"

"There are a couple of military airports that are extremely important to them", he said.

Renee got up from the chair and went to stand behind Jack, so she could see the airports in question on his computer screen. She saw photos of the airports. Jack then opened a file which showed the types of planes and armament kept in that military airport.

"Casualties?", Renee asked. There were two thin lines in her forehead, which showed how worried she felt.

"It varies, depending on at which time we choose to attack", Jack explained.

"Hayworth will want to cause the highest number of casualties possible", Renee speculated, sighing unhappily.

"In that case, we should strike between nine AM and twelve PM, Moscow time", he stated.

"Here that'd be…", she trailed off as she figured out the time difference in her head. "One AM to Four AM"

Jack confirmed with a nod of his head.

"About one hundredth casualties per airport", he said.

"About one hundredth?", she asked in surprise, widening her pale-blue eyes. The idea of causing one hundredth deaths made her feel sick. The Russians in those military airports were not responsible for the attack on the capitol. "What about American casualties?"

"None during the Air Strike", Jack assured her. "But, naturally…"

"We'd lose thousands of soldiers in the war that'd follow", she finished the sentence for him. She felt suddenly overwhelmed. She didn't know what to do. Slowly, while she thought about the people who would die if they went to war, she sat on the couch and took a deep breath.

Jack went to sit next to her, to show support.

"We are doing everything we can to avoid that", Jack assured her.

Renee nodded, looked down at her shoes and then directed her gaze back to Jack.

"How are you feeling?", she asked, softly. She was worried about his health. With everything that happened, she had kind of forgotten about it.

"Much better", he said, reassuringly, as he caressed her hand. Truth be told, after his hypertensive crisis, he felt exhausted and his head ached a little. But, at least, he didn't feel dizzy or with nauseas anymore.

"Have they told you why it happened?", Renee inquired.

"Not yet", he replied, casually. "Dr. Altman is busy with the president".

Renee nodded, understandably.

**11.40.28 – 11.40.29 – 11.40.30 – 11.40.31 PM **

Zack and another police officer got out of the police vehicle and opened the door for Dexter to get out as well. Zack grabbed Dexter harshly by the arm and led him to the entrance of CTU DC.

Chloe and Carter were there, waiting for the prisoner.

"Here's the prisoner" Zack told them.

"Take him to interrogation room one" Chloe ordered Carter "Set a full biometric package".

"Come on! Move!" Carter practically barked, while grabbing Dexter by the arm to lead him to the interrogation room.

"I want to see my son" Dexter said, trying to sound firm and confident, but failing.

"They are taking him to social services" Carter informed him. He felt no compassion. "Maybe, just maybe, we'll let you see him if you tell us everything we need to know", he said while taking Dexter to the interrogation room.

Chloe turned around to look at Zack.

"Thank you, officer. We'll take it from here" she said.

But Zack wasn't planning to leave. He wanted, more than anything, to avenge the death of Pam Cortez.

"That prisoner has information about the man who killed my partner. I'm not going anywhere", he stated with clear resolve.

Chloe remained silent for a moment, as she tried to decide what to do. Was it a good idea to let the police officer hang around CTU? She finally decided that Zack Bridges deserved to have information about the people responsible for the death of his partner.

"Okay. You can stay and observe. But if you disturb our investigation in any way, I will have security take you out of here", she warned with her most serious expression.

They headed to Interrogation Room One and observed what was going on inside, from the observation room. A technician connected Dexter to a lie detector and left. While Dexter was sitting down, Carter was pacing around the small room while staring at the prisoner. Clayton Foreman, a hansom black agent, was there interrogating Dexter too.

"So, Dexter…" Clayton began "You will be charged with treason. You know that, right?"

"I do" Dexter confirmed, softly and with his gaze directed at the floor.

"You helped the people who blew up the capitol" Clayton pointed out, struggling to remain calm "You _will_ get the death penalty"

"I know", Dexter whispered resignedly, nodding. He tried to act cool, but his hands were shaking. The thought of dying terrified him.

Carter exhaled, feeling frustrated; his anger was growing with every passing second.

Clayton then took a seat across from the prisoner. He could easily tell Dexter was scared, and planned to use the fear.

"You can stay alive if you tell us everything we need to know", he promised. "Who was that man in the house where we found you? Who do you work for?".

"I can't tell you anything", Dexter said.

"Who do you work for?!", Carter suddenly yelled, losing his patience.

"If I tell you, they'll kill me and my son. They'll probably kill my sister too", Dexter told him, looking like he was about to cry.

Outside the room, Chloe was reading the information that came from the lie detector.

"He's truly scared, Carter", she told Carter through the com devise.

"We'll protect you and your family", Clayton promised Dexter. "You'll be safe".

"You don't know the people behind all this", Dexter said somberly, shaking his head. "They are powerful, they are ruthless and they have a lot to lose".

Carter angrily hit the table.

"Tell me who they are", he ordered loudly. "Give me names!"

"I don't know their names", Dexter stated. In reality, he knew Secret Service Agent Evan McDonnell was a mole and he knew that some woman called Brooke was in the group of people who had masterminded the attack.

Chloe kept reading the results of the lie detector and noticed that the prisoner was withdrawing information.

"He's hiding something", she informed the agents.

"Don't lie to me!", Carter yelled at Dexter, while pushing the table against a wall. The papers that were on the table flew all around.

Clayton and Dexter stood up, quickly. The black agents stepped back and let Carter do his thing. Dexter had tears in his eyes.

Chloe startled, but she did nothing. She thought about how Jack had done the same thing to dozens of suspects. She had even witnessed it a couple of times back when she worked for him.

"I'm not lying!", Dexter protested.

Carter calmly put the table back in its place and picked up the papers that were on the floor.

"Let's start over", he said, while taking a seat. "Sit down". Dexter took a seat with a terrified expression. Carter showed him a picture of Brendan Marson, Tara Banning and Dominic Janssen guarding hallway B of the capitol, one of the hallways that had exploded. The image had been taken from security cameras. "Now, we know all about Agent Banning and Agent Janssen. But we know nothing about this other guy". He pointed at Brendan's image. Brendan was wearing a police uniform. "We just know that he's not a police officer. We checked with DC. Metro Police and nobody recognized him".

"I don't know who he is", Dexter half-lied. He had been told that the man in the photo was Martin Willard. But Dexter knew that wasn't the man's real name.

"What about this other guy?", Carter asked, showing a photo of Nolan Marson with Agent Davis Christensen and Agent Darius Blane. "The young man standing next to Agent Blane".

"I don't know his name", Dexter stated, truthfully.

"He looks like that the older guy I asked you about", Carter pointed out; noticing some resemblance. Both guys had big electric-blue eyes, blonde hair, a square-like face and a nose like a hook. One of them appeared to be in his late 50's while the other looked like in his late 20's. "Are they related?"

"I don't know", Dexter replied.

"Is the older guy the leader of the group you mentioned?", Carter asked. Dexter remained silent, staring at the table. The CTU agent puffed in frustration. They were getting nowhere. "You are not helping us, Dexter. And if you don't help us, we won't help you stay alive, and we _won't_ protect your family".

Dexter directed his gaze at Carter, looking miserable.

"You don't get it, do you?". Dexter sighed resignedly. "Even if you tried to protect me and my family, you would fail. Nobody can hide from those people".

Realizing he was wasting his time, Carter stood up and left the room, slamming the door in his way out. He met Chloe and Agent Clayton Foreman, a hansom black man.

"This isn't working", Carter told them.

"He's too scared to talk", Chloe said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Disconnect the security cameras and give me ten minutes alone with him", Carter said, whispering. "I'll make him talk"

Chloe looked at him like he was crazy.

"We don't do that anymore", she reminded him, with a warning on her tone.

"CTU hasn't done that in six years", Clayton commented. He couldn't believe Carter was suggesting an extreme interrogation.

"And I'd like to keep the streak alive", Chloe added, with a deadly serious tone. Her hazel eyes were on Carter, who was frowning with his arms across his chest.

_Carter scoffed and left the room. _

_In the meantime, Renee was in the Roosevelt room, working with Heller and Audrey. _

_Meanwhile, Dexter remained sitting in the interrogation room, looking terrified._

_At the same time, little Clinton was asleep on a couch, while a social worker looked after him, since the kid's aunt was on her way. _

**11.45.03 – 11.45.04 – 11.45.05 – 11.45.06 PM **

**11.48.12 – 11.48.13 – 11.48.14 – 11.48.15 PM**

_Clinton was reunited with his aunt Prudence. _

_At that moment, Dexter was being taken to a holding room. _

_Simultaneously, George was having a meeting in his office with FBI Agent Dale Reynolds, who had been sent to the White House as FBI liaison. _

_Right then, a meeting was taking place in the Oval Office. _

Mitchell Hayworth was sitting on the couch, while his chief of staff Derek sat next to him. Jack and Renee were sitting on the other couch. Hayworth was reading Jack's proposition, but wasn't completely satisfied.

"I don't know", Hayworth sighed, feeling exhausted. He paused, thought about for a moment. Was the proposed response a good way to get revenge? Finally, he nodded. "I guess this response is better than the other one you proposed earlier".

"It's a very appropriate way to respond, sir", Derek assured his boss.

Renee puffed, unhappily. "It'd be more appropriate if we knew for sure that the Russian government is behind the attacks"

Hayworth simply gave her an angry stare. It was like he was pulverizing her with his look.

"If you don't like the way I do things, just leave and return when _your pal_ comes back", Hayworth said, saying _your pal_ in a mocking manner.

"My _pal_?", Renee asked, outraged by Hayworth's lack of respect. "If you are talking about _President _Taylor, sir, refer to her as President Taylor".

Jack looked down, trying to hide a tiny proud smile.

Right then, his assistant entered the oval office.

"Sir. Mr. O'Brian needs to see you", she announced.

"Send him in", Hayworth told her.

Soon, Morris O'Brian walked into the room. He was in the White House as CTU liaison.

"Mr. President", he said, with a nod.

"Have you interrogated Brewer?", Hayworth asked.

"Yes, sir. But he refuses to cooperate", Morris informed. "He says that if he gave us information, they would kill him and his family"

"Who is _they_?", Jack asked, brusquely. Lack of cooperation from criminals made him very angry.

"A group of people that's behind everything that happened today", Morris answered.

"What do those people want? Are they trying to protect Suvarov and Karkov?", Hayworth asked.

"Sir, the victims of today's murders and President Taylor had no information about Karkov", Renee reminded him, trying not to lose her patience. The Acting President was exasperating her. She thought he was being irrational. _He's dangerous_, she thought with concern.

"But if Suvarov and Novakovich fall, he will take everyone with him. Karkov needs to protect him", Hayworth stated, with a great deal of confidence. _I know I'm right,_ he thought.

"Have you tried to make a deal with him?", Renee asked.

"We told him he could avoid the death penalty. And we offered him protection for his family", Morris replied.

"Maybe we could offer him full immunity", Renee suggested.

"No", Hayworth said loudly. "That woman, the assassin called Amanda Hobbs, was given immunity a few years ago and look how that turned out". He looked at Jack, like it was his fault, since Jack was there when the assassin known as Mandy was given a pardon.

"We don't have a choice, sir", Jack affirmed, feeling angry. "Just like there was no choice when they gave Hobbs immunity".

"But we have a choice, sir", Derek said, looking at Hayworth. He made a pause and elaborated his idea. "You can declare him enemy combatant and authorize the use of more extreme methods of interrogation"

Renee and Morris exchanged horrified looks. They both knew what it was like to be tortured. They didn't wish to do that to others. She had been tortured just a few hours ago. It had given her a brand new perspective.

Hayworth hesitated for a moment.

"I thought President Taylor had made extreme interrogations illegal", he said.

"The new CTU can't do it. But the CIA is not tied by the same regulations", Derek explained.

There was a tense silence while Hayworth thought about what to do. He didn't think for a long time. He needed the information Brewer possessed.

"Brewer brought it on himself. He's forcing our hand, really", Derek stated, to convince his boss.

"Okay", Hayworth said with a nod. "I authorize the use of extreme methods of interrogation on him". He looked at Jack. "And I want you to do the interrogation. You have a lot of experience. If someone can get the information we need, it's you".

Jack and Renee were stunned. They couldn't believe Hayworth was asking the national security advisor to torture someone. Renee thought it was absolutely insane. She looked at Jack, who looked serious but wasn't showing any emotion.

"Sir… Jack is the National Security Advisor", Renee pointed out, quickly., with a hint of desperation in her tone. "It's not his job to interrogate a suspect"

"I'm the Acting President", Hayworth reminded her, loudly. "And I'm ordering him to do it".

"Sir…", Derek intervened, feeling alarmed. He was, too, beginning to think that Hayworth was losing his mind. "A CIA agent interrogating a suspect using extreme methods is one thing, but the National Security Advisor? The people will never accept it. It'd be a scandal of massive proportions if it got out".

"Then we have to make sure it doesn't get out", Hayworth said. He then looked at Jack, with a warning in his stare. "Do you have a problem with this, Jack?"

"None whatsoever", Jack replied firmly. He stood up. "Now, if you excuse me, I'll go make the arrangements".

Hayworth nodded approvingly, feeling satisfied. Nothing would give him back his family. But he was going to make the guilty pay, one by one.

Renee stood up as well.

"Excuse me, Mr. President", she said, and followed Jack as he left the oval.

They walked side by side down the hallways, in direction to Jack office.

"Jack, you don't have to do this", Renee assured him, as they walked. Jack didn't answer.

She was getting desperate. She didn't want Jack to torture someone. Not only because he was the National Security Advisor, but also because she loved him, and she didn't want him to go back to his old ways. It wasn't that she wanted him to change. It was that she wanted him to be happy. And his old life had cost him everything. Besides, if people found out, it'd be terrible for Jack.

"I know we need the information. We really do", Renee admitted while they walked rapidly. "But there are field agents perfectly capable of getting what we need. I'll talk to Hayworth".

They reached the door of Jack's office. Without saying a word, he took Renee by the arm and made her enter the office with him, so they could talk alone. He closed the door behind them and turned around.

"Listen…", he whispered. "For years, I followed orders that came from people who just sat behind their desks, wearing expensive suits, and risked _nothing_. They told me what to do without putting their asses on the line. They didn't care that it was _my_ life that would be ruined. Not theirs". He made a pause to let his words sink in. He wasn't actually complaining. He chose to live serving his country and he did so without hesitating. He was simply pointing out how easy life was for those who gave the orders. The truth was, that he hated being one of _them_. "Now I'm the guy behind a desk, wearing an expensive suit. Well, I'm not gonna do to others what they did to me. _I'm_ gonna do what needs to be done"

Renee looked at him with pride and admiration in his eyes.

"All right, Jack", she whispered, feeling a knot on her throat.

He got closer and squeezed her hand to reassure her. He knew that, even though she understood him, she was also scared because he was risking everything.

He left the office to talk to his assistant, who was working by her desk.

"Mrs. Carmichael, I need to speak with Matt Anderson, get him on the phone", he said.

"Mr. Anderson happens to be with Colonel McNally right now", she told him.

"Thank you", Jack said.

He knocked on the door of Nora's office, which was next to his own, and walked in. Indeed, Nora was there with Matt Anderson, CIA director. Matt was sitting on a couch while Nora sat on a chair behind her desk. They looked at Jack, wondering what he wanted.

"Matt, I need you to get me a full interrogation package", he explained. "There's a suspect at CTU who won't cooperate and CTU does no longer have the resources to, uh… put pressure on him"

Nora and Matt were extremely surprised by the request.

"Did Hayworth order, uh, that kind of interrogation?", Nora asked, looking truly worried.

"Yeah. He wants me to do it", Jack said, astonishing the others.

Matt and Nora didn't object. They felt it wasn't their place to question orders.

"Okay", Matt said. "I'll tell one of the agents to bring you a package"

"And tell the agent to be discreet", Jack said. "Nobody can know about this".

Matt nodded, understandably.

Nora looked thoughtful.

"I'll go with you, Jack", she announced. "You might need help"

"I assure you, I won't", Jack affirmed. He could question someone in his sleep.

"Still. I'd like to help", Nora insisted. "I have conducted extreme interrogations in Afghanistan and Iraq"

Jack thought about it for a moment. He didn't need Nora. But there was no harm in her joining him. Why not?

"Okay. If you want to come, I don't mind. But it's not necessary", he said.

"I know it's not", Nora assured him, making an effort to avoid rolling her eyes. _Men and their foolish pride_, she thought.

**11.54.21 – 11.54.22 – 11.54.23 – 11.54.24 PM**

**North Chevy Chase Park, Bethesda, Maryland**

Brendan Marson and Andrian Jacobi were in a park, a few blocks away from the place where President Taylor was having surgery, getting ready to take over the hospital. There were thirteen men all together. They were heavily armed with M16 gun machines. They were wearing bullet-proof vests and iron masks, to avoid getting shot in the head.

"People, listen up…", Brendan said. "There are fifty Secret Service agents in there. You need to shoot them in the head. But try not to kill too many civilians. We'll need hostages"

"How many civilians?", a Russian henchmen asked.

"Ten critical patients, with one relative each", Andrian answered. "And there are six doctors, eleven nurses and a radiologist".

"Plus one anesthesiologist, four doctors and two nurses in the OR", Brendan added.

They made a pause to let the information sink in.

"But try to take the hostages with the most value… Ethan Kanin, his niece and her daughter. _Do not_ let them go", Andrian said, with a very firm tone.

"And Teddy, who's monitoring the hospital's security cameras, saw Audrey Heller Raines walking into the hospital just two minutes ago", Brendan informed. "She's the daughter of Secretary James Heller. _Capture her alive_. Open your e-mails and look at the photo of the targets that Teddy sent".

Everybody did as told and memorized Audrey's face, Millie's and the kids'. They already knew Ethan well.

"The blueprints of the hospital had been send to your cellphones", Andrian said to the gang. "The OR is located on the first floor, at the end of a hallway. That hallway is connected to a waiting area. We need to take the hostages to that waiting area and barricade there"

"As you know, the door of that OR is bullet proof and opens with a security code and a palm recognition program", Brendan reminded everyone. "I'll detonate an EMP bomb to disable the security cameras and everyone's electronic devises".

"The walkie-talkies will still work, though", Andrian warned.

"But that's not the main problem", Brendan continued. "The biggest problem is that the door of the OR will go into lockdown mode".

"What does that mean?", Brigham Dawson asked.

"It means that only the people inside will be able to open it, manually", Brendan explained. "We'll force their hand by taking as many hostages as possible"

"I'll go by myself", Andrian said. "The rest of you, split in groups of two"

"Briggs, you'll come with me", Brendan ordered, choosing his favorite man.

Brigham and Brendan got into a red Volvo. Brendan drove the car through Stone Lake Rd. until they got to a security checkpoint set by the police, in Palmer Rd. There were two police officers there. The officers approached the vehicle.

"We need to see your Id", one of the officers said.

Immediately, the officers noticed that the men in the vehicle were wearing iron mask and were up to no good. But it was too late.

Both mercenaries shot them in the head through the windshield, which shattered in little pieces. The officers dropped dead on the ground, leaving a big pond of blood.

Brendan drove the car fast until they reached the hospital's parking lot. He took the EMP bomb and set it to go off, giving himself and Brigham thirty seconds to get away from the blast.

"Run! Run!", Brendan yelled at his henchman, while running away from the car, with a backpack full of supplies.

While both mercenaries run, the car exploded right behind them. The force of the blast pushed them down to the ground.

In the OR where they were operating President Allison Taylor, everything went dark. The monitors that showed Allison's vitals shut down. Two agents inside the OR, prepared their weapons and used flashlights to see.

"What happened?", Dr. Charlie Altman asked.

"Damn it!", the neurosurgeon yelled, almost at the same time. "I'm trying to remove a piece of metal from her hypothalamus. I need to see"

Aaron Pierce remained calm. He talked to his peers through the walkie-talkie.

"This is Agent Pierce. What on earth is going on?", he asked, preparing his gun.

Outside the OR, Agents Hoyt Pulley and Dustin Hayes were guarding Ethan and the other people in the waiting area.

"We heard a blast. Then the lights died", Hoyt said.

"It could be a EMP", Aaron speculated. "Secure Lancelot and the visitors"

Hoyt grabbed Ethan by the arm, drawing a weapon.

"We need to get you out of here, sir", he told him.

Two more agents appeared promptly to escort Ethan, Millie, Rachel and Audrey.

The thirteen mercenaries walked into the hospital through different entrances, throwing smoke grenades. They shot with M16 gun machines any security guard or Secret Service agent they saw.

The mercenaries were shot several times. But most of the bullets went to the vests or the iron masks.

Two Russian gangsters got shot in the arm. Another one was shot in the leg. Drake Covington, one of Brendan's men, was shot on the shoulder.

The mercenaries who weren't injured split in two groups.

Brendan and Brigham joined Andrian, Paul Gecelovsky and his brother, Andrew. The five of them soon ran into Ethan Kanin and the rest of the VIPs. They shot Hoyt and Dustin in the head. The two agents dropped dead on the floor. Audrey, Millicent, Gina and Rachel screamed in horror and sobbed.

Very quickly, Brendan took Hoyt's walkie-talkie and addressed the surviving agents.

"This is the man in control of the hospital", he announced. "We have Ethan Kanin, his family and Secretary Heller's daughter. If the agents who survived our attack don't leave the building _immediately_, I will kill our hostages. Any attempt to rescue them will result in their deaths"

The thirty Secret Service agents who survived began leaving the building.

"Hospital One has fallen", an agent announced through his walkie-talkie. "I repeat: Hospital One has fallen"

**11.59.56 – 11.59.57 – 11.59.58 – 11.59.59 PM**

**12 AM**

**Please, let me know if you are reading and enjoying this story. Reviews make my day and motivate me. **

**Eight more episodes left!**


	17. You Must Be The Little Cockroach

**Author's note:** Thanks for the support I get!

I'm so sorry it took me forever to update. I spent 3 weeks in New York, taking a course in creative writing, and I had no time to work in my fanfic. I had to work on my novel and in a few short stories. Besides, it takes me forever to write a chapter of this story because of the format. You have no idea how difficult it is to write in real time and trying to come up with scenes to fill the time. I didn't know what I was getting myself into.

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Please, take a minute to write a review for me.

What do you think of 24:LAD? I'm finding it kind of repetitive. It's like any other season. I'm having trouble enjoying it without Renee. And I HATE that _Jaudrey_ fans are getting their way. At least we have my story.

Follow me on twitter: LaraGCostanzo – or you can friend me on facebook Lara García Costanzo

**Disclaimer:** The show's not mine. Neither are the characters. I just own the complete set of DVDs.

**CHAPTER 17:**

**Previously: **

Russia and Kamistan are about to go to war because Dalia Hassan lost an oil deal with Lithuania because of the Russian President Nickolai Karkov. Karkov pushed his Lithuanian counterpart to make him blow off a deal made with Kamistan.

Secret Service analyst Dexter Brewer was exposed as a mole and got caught while trying to leave the country. He was interrogated at CTU, but refused to cooperate because he's scared of the group of people who are behind the murders that happened in the last 17 hours and the attack on the capitol. The group is led by a man whose alias is Joseph. Joseph's right hand is a mysterious woman whose alias is Brooke.

Acting President Hayworth ordered that Dexter is interrogated using extreme methods. He ordered Jack to do the extreme interrogation. Jack agreed to take his deputy, Nora Macnally, to do the interrogation with him.

Jack and Leo decide that they have to find the boss of the Russian Crime Syndicate that assisted the terrorists. The problem is that Leo is in custody in the hospital, recovering from his two gun shots. Jack tells him not to do anything, to let the FBI take care of it.

Renee and Jerry Bradshaw decided to interrogate Tristan Mejia and Sean Hillinger, who were moles, caught on Day 7.

FBI agent, Dale Reynolds, is a mole and has in his possession a video that shows Yuri Suvarov and Mikhail Novakovich plotting to assassinate Omar Hassan and provide nuclear materials to his enemies. Leo saw part of the video. On the video, Novakovich was about to say Brooke's real name, but Leo never got to hear it.

Given that there are moles in the Secret Service, Aaron Pierce is asked to look after President Taylor, even though he's retired, because he's the only one Jack trusts.

CTU found a recording of President Nikolai Karkov talking to an allegedly corrupt Secret service agent. In the recording, he's apparently ordering the attack on the capitol to kill Allison Taylor. Renee believes the recording is fake, while Mitchell Hayworth took it seriously and is convinced that Karkov is guilty and that ordered the attack to protect Yury Suvarov and Mikhail Novakovich. Hayworth wants to retaliate in the next five hours. He didn't like the idea of a proportional response, he was a disproportional one.

Brendan's gang and Andrian Jacobi's crew, took over the hospital where President Hayworth is having surgery. Ethan Kanin, his niece and his grandniece where taken hostages, along with Audrey Heller Raines. Four doctors, a nurse, an anaesthesiologist and three Secret service agents are safely in the OR, with President Taylor. The door of the OR is locked and can only be opened from inside.

_The following takes place between 12.00 AM and 01.00 AM, on the day after the State of the Union Address_.

_Events occur in real time_

**CHAPTER 17:**

"**You must be the little cockroach I'm gonna crush tonight****"**

**January 30th 2019 – Thursday**

**12.04.06 AM **

**Bethesda Naval Hospital**

Snow was starting to fall. It was a dark and cold night. Yet, hundredths of people were gathered outside the hospital where Allison Taylor was having surgery. They were outside the perimeter the police had set, three blocks away from the hospital. Those people were holding signs with messages such us _We love you, Allison_ or _Get well soon, Madam President!_

Allison's supporters didn't know that a group of thirteen mercenaries had just taken over the hospitals in the hopes of stopping her life-saving surgery.

The supporters and the members of the press that were on the scene had only heard an explosion.

"What's going on?", a male reporter asked, when he saw a secret service agent go by. But the reporter was ignored.

Secret Service agents were all around, along with officers from DC. Metro Police and Maryland police department. The agents had to leave the building, because, if they didn't, the mercenaries would kill several hostages.

Hugh Mannheim, a bald man in his forties, was the highest ranking Secret Service Agent alive, except for those barricading in the OR with the president.

"Have you gotten in touch with the White House?", he asked to a younger agent.

"We can't communicate with them. The EMP fried all our phones", the agent replied.

"Go outside the perimeter to find someone with a phone that works", Hugh ordered.

The younger agent left rapidly to do as told.

"Who's inside the OR. protecting the president?", Hugh asked a blonde agent.

"Agents Pierce, Hoskins and Hobson", the blonde agent replied.

At the same time, inside the OR, there was anesthesiologist, four doctors and two nurses, plus three Secret Service Agents. Aaron Pierce was by the door, with his gun ready. Agent Oliver Hobson had a flashlight aimed at Allison's heart, so, Dr. Charlotte Altman could continue operating. Agent Wallace Hoskins had his own flashlight aimed at the president's brain.

"Everybody, stay calm", Aaron said to the medical professionals, who were very freaked out. "Continue doing your jobs like nothing happened. This door is impossible to open from outside. We are safe"

The neurosurgeon, Derrick Albertson however, stepped away from Allison.

"I can't continue with the surgery now. I can't see the surgical field", he complained. Even though there was a flashlight aimed at the president's brain, he couldn't see well enough to operate.

Dr. Alton Templeton, Commander in Bethesda Naval Hospital, was livid.

"Dr. Albertson! The longer the patient stays open, the higher is the risk of infection. You must finish the surgery, now!", he yelled.

"You don't see what's going on? There isn't enough light! I could kill her!", Derrick argued.

"All the monitors are down", a nurse told them, alarmed "We can't see her vitals"

"We didn't have enough light in Fallujah, and we didn't have fancy monitors either", Charlotte Atman said, as she tried to fix Allison's heart. She had a lot of experience as combat doctor. She had operated under worse circumstances. "But we did the surgeries that needed to be done. We can do this"

"The lights will be restored shortly", Aaron said. "But, in the meantime, you have to continue with the surgery, Dr. Albertson"

"You are giving me no choice", Derrick said. "But if she dies, it'll be your fault"

Aaron nodded, with a solemn expression on his face.

**12.06.03 – 12.06.04 – 12.06.05 – 12.06.06 AM **

Outside the OR, Brendan, Andrian and their men were gathering the hostages, making them sit forming a circle in the center of the room. There were six doctors, eleven nurses, a radiologist, plus ten people that were taking care of relatives in critical condition. The patients in critical condition were left in their rooms, since they were all unconscious. The patients who could be moved had been sent to other hospitals.

Among the hostages, there were also Ethan Kanin, his assistant, his niece, his niece's daughter and Audrey Heller.

Darkness surrounded them. The only lights came from the flashlights of the mercenaries and the glow sticks they had distributed.

One of Brendan's men, Drake Covington, appeared. He had been shot in the shoulder and was in a lot of pain.

"Let me see that", Brendan said, and went to check the wound. He looked at the hostages and saw six of them wearing white coats. He pointed his gun at them. "One of you must fix my good friend. Now!". Nobody moved. Brendan shot at the roof, to scare them. "Fix my friend now! I don't care who does it!"

A male doctor with grey hair stood up.

"I'll do it", he offered, reluctantly. He approached the wounded mercenary to examine him.

Brendan then aimed his gun at a woman in pink scrubs. The woman had a small pregnant belly.

"Don't hurt me!", she begged. "I'm five months pregnant!"

"Are you a nurse?", he asked, to confirm. The terrified woman nodded, while putting a hand on her belly. "Then, go help the doctor. You and your baby will be okay"

The pregnant nurse, called Thelma Corday, obeyed as tears fell from her eyes.

Andrian walked into the area, with his gun ready.

"It looks like secret service retreated", he informed Brendan. "But three of my men are injured"

Brendan nodded and addressed the hostages once again.

"We need another doctor and another nurse", he said.

A doctor and a dark-haired nurse timidly stood up and went to help the injured gangsters.

"Local anesthesia only", Andrian ordered with a severe tone. "If you try to sedate them, you are dead". He shot at the floor, to make his point.

Audrey sobbed loudly, fearing for her life. Why was she always in such terrible situations?

"What do you want?" she asked.

A Russian gangster grabbed her and hit her on the face with his flashlight, causing a small cut in Audrey's cheek.

"Stop crying!", the Russian yelled.

Brendan then grabbed Audrey by the arm and made her sit with the other hostages.

"Relax, everybody", he ordered the hostages. "_If nobody loses their head, nobody will lose their head_", he said, repeating a famous line from the movie _Thelma and Louise_.

Brendan's son, Nolan, approached the hostages to make threats too.

"You'll either leave here walking, with a cool story to tell your friends, or you'll leave in a body bag", he told them. "That depends on your behavior"

"We just want the code to access the OR.", Brendan said.

"You'll never get it, you son of a bitch!", Ethan yelled.

Brendan ignored him and grabbed a random sobbing nurse in blue scrubs.

"You look like someone who knows the code", he told her.

"I don't", the nurse assured him.

Brendan slapped her across the face, harshly.

"Don't lie to me!", he screamed.

"I'm not lying", the nurse sobbed, with a hand on her cheek. "Only the people inside the OR. know it"

"And they'll never give it to you, sick bastard", Ethan said.

One of the Russian mercenaries grabbed Ethan and punched him in the face, making his nose bleed.

Brendan pushed the nurse towards the other hostages.

"Please, be reasonable", Audrey begged him, with desperation in her eyes. "They'll never let you kill President Taylor"

"Then, I'll just kill all of you", Brendan said, arrogantly.

"And how will you escape without any hostages, genius?", Audrey defied him, with her voice shaking. She was trying to be tough and brave. But she was failing. "They'll bring reinforcements"

"You are right", Brendan admitted. "I'll need hostages". He grabbed Audrey, forced her to stand up, and threatened her with a gun. "But I don't need _you_. I have Ethan kanin, a pregnant nurse, and a kid", he pointed at Rachel.

"I'm not a kid, asshole!", Rachel protested, with fury. "I'm thirteen"

"Rachel! Don't say anything!", Millicent told her whispering, as she held her tight.

Brendan ignored them. He grabbed Audrey by the throat, while holding a gun to her head with the other hand.

"I don't want to hear another word from you!", he yelled. "Do you understand?"

"Yes" Audrey said, nodding and feeling terrified.

"That's another word!", Brendan said, furious, and slapped her. "Do you understand?", he asked slowly.

This time, Audrey nodded and went to sit next to Ethan.

Satisfied, Brendan addressed Andrian.

"You and your men patrol the hospital. I don't want anyone playing John McClane", Brendan said.

"Who's John McClane?", Andrian asked with confusion, not getting the reference. He wasn't a fan of American action movies, since Russians were always the villains and it offended him.

Brendan was livid. He couldn't believe someone didn't know Die Hard. "_What an ignorant Russian pig_", he thought.

Nolan stepped in, because his father looked like he was going to punch the Russian.

"Let's patrol the hospital", the younger mercenary said. "Let's make sure there are no agents hidden somewhere"

Andrian left with six of his men, plus Nolan. Brendan and Brigham Dawson stayed with the hostages. Drake Covington and the three injured Russians were receiving medical attention in the same room, but their injuries were minor, so, they would soon be ready to help.

Brendan was content. He addressed Brigham, his favorite man, who was testing an electronic tablet.

"Is the tablet working, Briggs?", he asked

"Yeah", Briggs replied. "We put it in a special bag to protect it from the EMP"

"Good", Brendan smirked.

"Where the hell is Mandy?", Briggs asked, surprised because the beautiful assassin hadn't been part of the hospital siege.

"The bosses needed her to do something else", Brendan replied, with a casual tone.

"How do you know she won't scape?" the large man asked.

"I don't", Brendan admitted dryly.

**12. 09.55 – 12.09.56 – 12.09.57 – 12.09.58 AM **

**West Potomac Park – Washington DC. **

Mandy was in West Potomac Park. She shivered, feeling cold, as the snow fell on her head. She was wearing a red wig and a purple winter hat. A strong wind shook the branches of the trees.

FBI agent Dale Reynolds, finally appeared. He was a man in his late forties with black hair in a bald fade and a goatee.

"You're late", Mandy complained with a sharp tone.

"It wasn't easy to leave my post", he said. The FBI was extremely busy. All agents had to be at work.

"Do you have the video?", she asked. Dale showed her a memory card. Mandy narrowed her eyes. "How do I know it's legit?"

Dale put the memory card on his cellphone. Soon, he showed Mandy a video.

_Yuri Suvarov walked into the office with a very serious expression. "What happened?", he asked dryly in Russian without exchanging any pleasantries. _

"_Pavel says Mehran and Bazhaev took the money. Everything is going well", Novakovich answered, also speaking in Russian. "We'll make CTU believe Hassan's mistress wants to kill him, so they'll be too distracted with her to stop us"_

"_And we have someone inside CTU, right?"_

"_Yes, indeed. Don't worry. Things will turn out allright. Hassan will die, his enemies will possess nuclear weapons and that will kill the peace treaty and give you and the Americans a reason to isolate and bomb Kamistan back to the Stone Age" ._

Dale stopped the video.

"Do you need to see more?", he asked Mandy, with triumph written on his face. "You want to see them saying Brooke's real name?".

"I saw enough", she replied, with a somber expression. "What do you want?"

"I want a million dollars", Dale answered. "If you give me the money, I swear that this memory card will remain hidden in a safe place. The authorities will never get it… unless, of course, something bad happened to me"

"Is that the only copy?", she inquired, showing no emotion.

"For now", he told her.

At that moment, they heard two police officers approaching. Mandy grabbed Dale, pushed him against a tree and kissed him, so they would look like an innocent couple. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the kiss.

The officers aimed their flashlights at them.

"I bet those two aren't cold", an officer whispered to the other, who chuckled. He then addressed Mandy and Dale. "Folks, you have to go home. DC. Metropolitan area is in state of emergency"

"Of course. We are sorry, officers", Dale told them, pretending to be embarrassed. "We'll leave now".

The officers nodded and walked away.

Once they were out of sight, Mandy made a seductive smile and kissed him again.

Out of nowhere, she took a knife from her pocket and stabbed Dale on the neck.

Dale stared at her in horror as his life slipped away.

**12.12.07 – 12.12.08 – 12.12.09 – 12.12.10 AM **

**The White House **

The situation room of the White House was crowded.

Secretary Dwayne Fenwick was sitting next to Tim Woods and Carlton Greene, undersecretary of Defense for intelligence. Matthew Anderson (CIA director) and Ashton Morgan (Director of NSA) were sitting in front of them. General Arnold Vincent (Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs) was standing in front of a big screen that showed the schematics of the hospital, General Hank Gratz (President Taylor's military advisor) and Admiral John Fredrick Smith (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs) were standing in front of a map that showed troops positions in the world, they were being assisted by military personnel. Derek Watts, Hayworth's Chief of Staff, was also there, sitting next to Morris O'Brian, who was representing CTU Dc.

"Ten Hut!", the soldier by the door announced.

Then, Mitchell Hayworth walked into the room, franked by Renee and James Heller. Those who were sitting down stood up for the acting president.

"What happened now?", Hayworth asked, grumpily, while taking a seat at the head of the table. Heller sat down by his side, while Renee sat next to Heller.

"Sir, there's a hostage situation in the hospital", Derek informed.

"A hostage situation?", Hayworth asked, in disbelief.

"My daughter is there!", Heller exclaimed, feeling scared. "What the heck is going on?"

"A group of mercenaries took control of the hospital. They took hostages and threatened to kill them if we intervene", Derek explained. "They first attacked the hospital with a EMP bomb. We can't communicate with anybody inside the hospital or access the security cameras"

"We are blind", Renee concluded, irritated.

Morris stood up and showed photos of the hospital building taken with a satellite. The thermal images showed several red spots, which represented living humans.

"As you can see, sir… there's a group of people gathered in a big circle, in the middle of the antechamber to the OR where President Taylor is right now", he said, pointing at the big circle made of little red spots. "We counted thirty people. Those are the hostages". He made a pause and allowed the information to sink in. "There are thirteen other people", Morris continued, unfazed. "Six of them, are in the same room with the presumed hostages. Eight people seem to be walking around the hospital, in pairs"

Mathew Anderson saw something in his computer.

"Mr. President", he said, with surprise. "There's a video call coming from the hospital"

"From the hospital?", the acting president asked, alarmed. "What are you waiting for? Take it"

They connected Matt's laptop to the big screen in the situation room, so everybody could see everything clearly. He pressed the "accept" button.

Brendan appeared in the screen, wearing a ski mask. Illuminated only by flashlights and glow sticks.

"Hello, Mr. Hayworth", he greeted.

"Who the hell are you?", Hayworth asked, with anger in his eyes and voice.

"That doesn't matter", Brendan stated. "What matters is that I'm in the Bethesda Naval hospital. And I have thirty hostages".

The mercenary aimed the camera of his own laptop to the terrified hostages. The people in the situation room could see Ethan, who was frowning. Millie was next to him, hugging Rachel. Audrey was trembling and trying hard not to cry, but tears fell down her cheeks, inevitably.

"Oh, my God, Audrey!", Heller exclaimed, horrified. His daughter was everything to him.

"What do you want, you bastard?", Hayworth asked.

"I want the code to access the OR where President Taylor is having surgery", Brendan said.

Ethan abruptly stood up.

"Don't do it, Mitchell! Don't do it!", he yelled with desperation.

The people in the situation room saw on the screen how two other mercenaries, wearing ski masks, grabbed Ethan and punched him hard. Some of the hostages gasped in horror, while others began sobbing. Blood came from Ethan's nose and he got a black eye.

"Don't hurt him, you sick son of a bitch!", Renee yelled.

The mercenaries pushed Ethan towards the circle with the other hostages. He fell down and, then, joined the others.

"He won't be hurt if we get what we want", Brendan affirmed.

"Not in this life", Renee defied him. She loved Allison Taylor like a mother. She wouldn't let any harm come to her.

Hayworth gave Renee an angry stare. He was the acting president. How dare she make decisions for him? Yet, he couldn't give the mercenaries what they wanted. It would end his career if he allowed the murder of President Taylor.

"We can't give you the codes", he stated.

Brendan then grabbed one of the hostages, a middle-aged female doctor with short brown curls. She began crying.

"Tell them your name and what you were doing here", Brendan ordered.

"I'm Paige Chetley", the woman said, between sobs. "I work here. I'm the Chief of the ER.". She then looked at Brendan. "Please, don't kill me. I have two kids"

Brendan pressed his gun against Paige's temple and spoke to the camera.

"Mr. President, this innocent doctor, and mother of two, will die in fifteen minutes if you don't give me the code", he stated with a severe tone. "We'll talk later". Without waiting for an answer, he disconnected the video call.

Everybody in the situation room saw, helplessly, how the screen turned black.

"Sir, you can't negotiate with that nutjob. The United States doesn't negotiate with terrorists", Renee affirmed.

"Don't you think I know that?", Hayworth snapped at her. Everybody startled. He rubbed his own temple, feeling frustrated. "Now, we have fifteen minutes to come up with the best way to rescue the hostages".

"We must restore the power and systems, sir", Morris stated. "Right now, the doctors who are operating on President Taylor are blind"

"I know that too!", Hayworth exclaimed. "I don't want to hear what I already know. I want to hear solutions". He stood up. His face was somber with anger. "Let me know when you have one"

The acting president left the room, with Derek following him. Renee looked at them with concern. To be honest, she didn't have faith in Hayworth. But, what could she do?

_She directed her gaze at Heller, who stared back at her somberly. _

_Meanwhile, Hayworth and Derek were in the elevator, to get to the first floor of the White House._

_At the same time, Audrey was sitting with the other hostages and tears fell from her eyes. _

_At that moment, Dr. Altman was operating on Allison Taylor, without seeing very well. _

**12.16.14 – 12.16.15 – 12.16.16 – 12.16.17 AM **

**12.19.02 – 12.19.03 – 12.19.04 – 12.19.05 AM **

_Mandy was dumping Dale's body into the Potomac River. _

_In the interim, Heller was in his office, looking at a picture of Audrey and her brother, Richie. He lovingly ran his finger through Audrey's face. _

_At that moment, Ethan was holding Millicent and Rachel. He was bruised and had a small cut on his cheek. _

_Then, Jack was parking his car at CTU DC. _

Jack got out of his vehicle, along with his deputy, Nora McNally. Both of their cellphones began ringing at the same time. Nora walked away to take her call privately, while Jack took his own.

"Bauer", he said.

"Jack? It's me", Renee said, calling from her office. She was standing behind her desk, with several papers and folders on it.

"Hey, sweetheart", he greeted her. "Nora and I just got to CTU"

"We have a situation", she told him, with a grave tone. "A group of terrorists just took control of Bethesda Naval Hospital"

"What?", Jack exclaimed, feeling surprised.

"They took thirty hostages and are threatening to kill them if we interfere", she explained.

"Is President Taylor secured?", he asked with a scowl on his face.

"Yeah", she sighed, defeated, and took a seat. "They can't open the door to the OR. But they want the codes to open it. They said they'd kill a hostage in fifteen minutes if we don't comply".

"We can't give in, Renee. We don't negotiate with terrorists", Jack stated with a firm tone.

"I know", she said.

"These are obviously the same bastards who put the bomb in the capitol", Jack commented. The attacks had to be related, since it was too much of a coincidence that both of them happened on the same day.

"We think so", Renee agreed, nodding. There was a pause. She bit her lower lip and stared at her papers awkwardly. "Jack, there's something you should know"

"Yeah?", he asked, alarmed. It was clear that Renee had bad news for him. He could sense it in her tone.

"Audrey is there. She's one of the hostages", she said, knowing that Jack wouldn't take the news very well. His former girlfriend still meant a lot to him. Audrey would always matter to Jack. Renee was learning to deal with that fact.

"What?!", Jack exclaimed, feeling astonished. He shook his head in disbelief. "That can't be! She was at the white house"

"She went to the hospital to talk to Ethan Kanin", Renee explained, as gently as possible. "I'm sorry"

"What are we doing to rescue the hostages?" he asked.

"Hayworth doesn't want to do anything for now", Renee informed. "If we make a move, the hostages will get killed"

"Yeah", Jack sighed and rubbed his temple. "This could easily turn out like The Waco Siege" There was a brief moment of silence as they tried to come up with a solution. "I'm gonna go there. I'll put together a small team and we can make a move covertly"

Renee wasn't surprised to hear. But she didn't think it was a good idea.

"We need you to interrogate Brewer, Jack", she reminded him. "What if he knows about those lunatics who took over the hospital?"

"I need to be in the hospital right now, Renee", he stated softly, almost whispering. He wanted her to understand him.

"That's not your job anymore", she protested weakly. She knew he wouldn't care about that, at all.

"Neither is interrogating a suspect, isn't it?", he pointed out. "I just _have_ to be there. I _have_ to"

"I know", Renee sighed sadly, with resignation. Jack wouldn't cave in this time. She knew him too well. She ran her hand through her auburn hair, trying to figure out what to do. "What about Dexter Brewer? We need to know what he knows"

"Nora can handle the interrogation", Jack suggested, with a casual tone. "She's done it before, when she was with the Special Forces"

Renee thought about it. She had to admit that Nora was a smart and competent woman, who had gone through hell in the Gulf. Nora's record was impeccable.

"Okay", Renee finally agreed.

"I've got to go now. I'll call you when I get to the hospital", Jack said, since Chloe appeared in the parking lot with a red-haired man in his early forties. He disconnected the call.

"Hey, Jack", Chloe greeted him.

Carter Everton gave one step forwards and shook Jack's hand. He felt nervous. To him, it was like meeting a celebrity.

"I'm Carter Everton, director of field operations" he introduced himself. His excitement was showing in his big hazel eyes. "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Bauer"

"Thanks", Jack said, not interested at all in the flattery. "Are you heading to the hospital?"

"Yes. Another ten agents are waiting for us there,", Chloe informed. "We'll be ready if President Hayworth decides to do anything"

"You'll be in charge of Coms?", Jack asked.

"Yeah. And I'll try to restore the power in the building", Chloe answered.

Nora finished with her phone call and approached them.

"That was General Gratz. He told me everything", she told them.

"Nora, I'm going to the hospital. You'll interrogate Brewer", Jack informed her.

"All right", Nora readily agreed.

**12.22.49 – 12.22.50 – 12.22.51 – 12.22.52 AM**

**The White House**

Renee headed to the Roosevelt room, where James Heller was working. He was with his young assistant, Carly Forlano. He was sitting down, massaging his own neck, which was tense. He was nervous and extremely scared. He wished there was something he could do for his daughter.

"Mr. Secretary?", Renee said.

James looked up. He seemed to have aged in the last few minutes.

"Renee, has the acting president made a decision?", he asked.

"I'm afraid not, sir", she replied, with sorrow. "But I wanted to tell you that Jack is heading to the hospital. He'll try his best to save Audrey"

"Good", James approved, with genuine relief. "Jack is excellent in this type of situation. There's nobody I trust more". Renee nodded, in agreement. James nodded too, thoughtfully. "His only problem is holding on to a normal life. But, during crisis… nobody is better"

Renee looked away, feeling awkward. James had hit a nerve. She feared Jack wouldn't be able to handle the normal life they had built together. And the fact that he had insisted in picking up a gun again to rescue the hostages didn't reassure her.

Carly put a hand in James's shoulder to offer support.

"Sir, is there anything I can do for you?", she asked. "You want me to call Richard?"

James looked with confusion at the pretty black-haired woman who was talking to him. For a brief instant, he didn't remember who she was.

"Eh, yeah…", he said, feeling uncomfortable. "Thank you…" He paused. What was the woman's name?

"I'm Carly, sir", she reminded him, with concern.

James remembered everything. Feeling embarrassed, he tried to cover his brief moment of confusion.

"Of course you're Carly!", he stated, with outrage. "You think I don't remember that? Now, go get me coffee and put my son on the phone, please. He needs to know about this". He wanted a coffee to keep his mind sharp. _Obviously, exclaustration caused my confusion_, he thought. _I'm not senile._

Carly nodded and left the room to get the coffee. Renee followed her. The young assistant stopped walking for a moment and looked miserable. Her blue eyes were shining with tears.

"What's wrong, Carly?", Renee asked, with genuine concern.

"I can't believe he forgot my name", the younger woman said.

"I'm sure he's just tired and nervous", Renee said, without much conviction.

"The other day, he was showing me old pictures of Audrey. He likes to do that. But, for a moment, he forgot Paul Raines's name", she said, whispering. "And, one time, he asked me where his cellphone was, and he had it in his hands"

"That can happen to anybody", Renee stated, weakly. She was in denial. She didn't want to believe Heller was having problems. "Are those the only incidents you noticed?"

"Yeah"

"Is he making mistakes at work?", Renee asked.

"Not even one", Carly affirmed.

"Then, don't worry about it", Renee said, with a dismissive tone. "I bet he'll be fine".

She was about to walk away, but the younger woman stopped her.

"Ms. Walker, I never told Ms. Raines about any of this", Carly said. "I don't want her to worry"

"I understand. I won't tell her anything", Renee promised.

"Do you think she'll make it?", Carly asked with concern. She was fond of James's daughter.

"I hope so", Renee said.

**12.24.56 – 12.24.57 – 12.24.58 – 12.24.59 AM**

**CTU DC. **

Agent Clayton Foreman had already started the extreme interrogation. He was giving Dexter Brewer electric shocks with a taser gun whose wires were attached to Dexter's chest.

"Tell us who you work for!", Clayton ordered sharply, while giving Dexter an electric shock.

"Stop, please!", Dexter begged, feeling a lot of pain. Tears fell from his eyes.

Clayton felt nauseas. He was disgusted by his own actions. The hand he was using to hold the taser gun trembled slightly. He knew what Dexter had done. Still, Clayton didn't enjoy the other man's suffering.

Then Nora walked into the interrogation room like she owned the room and everybody inside. She smiled when she saw the hansom black agent.

"I'm Colonel Nora McNally", she introduced herself. "Are you agent Foreman?"

"Yes", Clayton confirmed.

Nora directed her icy gaze at Dexter.

"You must be the little cockroach I'm gonna crush tonight", she said with chilling serenity. She looked at Clayton again. "I can take it from here, Agent Foreman. Just bring me the package sent by the CIA".

"I'll check if it's here", Clayton said, handing the taser gun to Nora.

Once Nora was alone with the suspect, she examined the taser gun, still attached to Dexter, and nodded approvingly.

"Dexter, this gun can give one hundredth and thirty shocks before the battery dies", Nora told him, with a cold tone. "I guess Agent Foreman pulled a trigger a few times, but there's still a lot of battery left for me". She pulled the trigger and Dexter got another electric shock. "See? Plenty of battery left. So, tell me what we want to know".

"I don't know anything", Dexter whined.

Nora disconnected the wires from the gun.

"I've just activated direct-contact mode. The voltage will now go from 120 volts to 4.800", she informed. Dexter began sobbing and shaking his head in denial. Nora's lip formed a tiny smile. "I know you don't want to suffer, Dexter. So, tell me, who are those bastards who took control of the hospital? What are their names?"

"I don't know who took over the hospital!", Dexter yelled with desperation. "I've been here the whole time".

"Then tell me something else. Tell me who you work for!", Nora ordered.

"I can't", Dexter sobbed.

She gave him an electric shock directly to his leg. Dexter screamed in agonizing pain. She remembered the screams of those Iraqis she had tortured with pleasure, just like their friends would later torture her.

"Is there any other mole in the Secret Service?, she asked him.

"No. No. Just me", Dexter lied. He knew Agent Evan McDonnell was a mole.

Nora rested the barrel of the gun on Dexter's neck.

"I'm gonna hit your neck. This could leave you paralyzed", Nora warned.

"Please, don't do it. Please!", Dexter begged, with tears in his eyes.

Having so much power was making Nora feel aroused. She decided not to leave him paralyzed, yet. Instead, she pressed the barrel of the gun on Dexter's bare chest and pulled the trigger.

The man screamed, feeling an agonizing pain. He wished the torment would end. But he couldn't give information. He had to protect his son and his sister. His employers would kill them if he talked. He thought about his family to cope with the pain.

Clayton walked into the room.

"Here's what you need, Colonel", he said, handing Nora a medium-sized metal box. He addressed Dexter with a compassionate tone. "Dexter, you don't want her to use what's in that box. Trust me. Just tell us what we want to know"

"I can't!", Dexter yelled, feeling powerless. "They'll kill my family".

Clayton sighed and stepped back, to let Nora do her thing. He simply stood with her arms folded and his back against the wall. He observed Nora putting the box on the table and prepare an injection. He noticed a tiny smile on her face. She was clearly trying to hide it. But he saw it. A cold sensation ran through Clayton's spine.

She prepared the injection and approached Dexter. He tried to fight it, but he was no match for the colonel. Nora easily restrained him and gave him an injection.

Dexter screamed, panted and had big drops of sweat falling from his forehead and temples. The sweat got mixed with his teardrops.

"Please, stop", he begged.

"Dexter, we'll protect your family", Clayton promised. "Just tell us who you work for"

"I can't", Dexter said, shaking his head, stubbornly.

Nora quickly prepared another injection and gave it to him.

Dexter screamed loudly once again. He had difficulty breathing. He suddenly felt a sharp pain on his chest. He opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't have the chance. He fell from the chair and dropped dead on the floor.

"Oh my God!", Nora exclaimed, covering her mouth with a hand.

"We need a medic!", Clayton yelled desperately at the people in the observation room.

He ran towards Dexter, who wasn't breathing and didn't have a pulse. Clayton tried to bring him back with energetic chest compressions.

"Come on! Don't die on us!", he yelled. Nothing happened. Clayton then realized that Dexter's heart would not restart. He shook his head sadly. He then looked at Nora with hatred. "You killed him!"

"I don't know what happened", Nora said with confusion in her emerald eyes. She held her own head between her hands. "It was just hyroxine-pentoral. It wasn't supposed to kill him". She took deep breaths. "I was just inflicting pain. The drug wasn't supposed to kill him".

Clayton observed the woman. She looked so distraught and guilty. But he wasn't moved.

"You must have given him too much", he accused her, angrily.

Nora looked at Dexter's body with tears in her eyes.

**12.29.02 – 12.29.03 – 12.29.04 – 12.29.05 AM**

**White House **

In the crowded situation room, Hayworth was with his team. He still couldn't think of a solution.

"Mr. President, we are running out of time", Renee pointed out. She was sitting at Hayworth's left. "We have to do something soon, or they'll kill the first hostage"

"If I send an assault team, everybody inside will die", Hayworth said, feeling lost. He rubbed his own forehead, feeling troubled. "I'd be responsible for the death of thirty hostages"

"They'll kill those hostages one by one if we do nothing", Renee said.

"Sir, I hate to be the one to point this out…", Dwayne Fenwick, Secretary of Defense, said. He cleared his throat. He knew the idea he had would be unpopular. "But President Taylor is severely injured. She could die at any second, no matter what we do. Why sacrifice thirty healthy people for her?"

"Are you out of your freaking mind?!", Renee snapped at him, in disbelieve.

Hayworth raised one hand as if saying _shut up!_ He thought Dwayne had a valid point. But he wasn't sure. He scratched his chin, full of doubts.

"Sir, If you do that, you will always be the guy who allowed the murder of a beloved president", Derek said, with concern. "Nobody votes for that guy".

Everybody stared at him with their eyes widened. Renee gasped, outraged.

"Don't talk like that, Derek!", Hayworth scolded him loudly. "How can you even think about the elections in a time like this?" Derek looked down, like a chastened puppy, and remained silent. Hayworth then addressed James Heller. "Jim, your daughter is in there. What do you think I should do?"

"It's your decision, sir", Heller said. He wanted his daughter to live more than anything in the world. But it wasn't his call.

"I'm asking your opinion", Hayworth insisted.

"I think we should try to buy some time until Jack Bauer gets there", Heller admitted. "He's gonna gather a small team, to try to rescue the hostages".

"But won't the terrorists kill all the hostages if they see him coming?", Hayworth asked.

"It'll all happen so fast that the terrorists won't notice him until it's too late", Renee said.

"I'm not sure about this, Renee", Hayworth admitted.

There was silence while he thought about what to do. Morris O'Brian finally broke the silence. He was receiving a message.

"Sir, the leader of the terrorists wants to talk to you", he said.

Brendan appeared on the big screen wearing a ski mask. Paige Chetley was sitting on a chair, right behind him. The doctor was shivering and tears fell from her eyes.

"Your time is up, Mr. President", Brendan stated. "Will you give me the code?"

There was a long moment of tense silence.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Chetley", Hayworth said to the hostage, with a sad tone. He felt full of guilt. "The United States doesn't negotiate with terrorists".

"Please, tell my husband and kids that I love them", Paige said. Her voice was shaking.

Rapidly, Brendan positioned himself behind her, with a frown on his face. He shot her in the head.

Paige died instantly. Her body fell to the ground and a pool of blood formed under her head.

The other hostages were horrified.

"You did this, Mr. President", Brendan said.

He grabbed another hostage, a chubby black woman who was next to Ethan.

"Oh, no", Ethan said, gloomily.

Brendan put the woman in front of the camera.

"Tell them who you are", Brendan ordered her, sharply.

"I'm Gina Parrish", she said, shaking. "I'm Mr. Kanin's assistant". Tears fell from her eyes. "Please, _don't _let them kill President Taylor! Don't give in, sir"

Brendan punched her with all his forces, and then looked at the camera.

"Mr. Hayworth, you have another fifteen minutes to give me the code", he stated.

"I can't let you kill President Taylor", Hayworth told him. "Be reasonable!"

Brendan didn't answer. He simply disconnected the video call.

The big screen in the situation room turned black.

Brendan's people moved Gina's body, so it wouldn't be in the middle of the room.

Brendan approached his son.

"Nolan, are Mason and Teddy making any progress?", he asked.

"No", Nolan replied. "They are trying to crack the code, but it'll take four hours, maybe more"

"Four hours?", Brendan exclaimed, outraged.

"Maybe more", Nolan repeated.

"We don't have that kind of time", Brendan said. "I'm afraid more hostages will die"

_Ethan overheard them and, sadly, stared at his assistant's body. _

_Meanwhile, Dexter's body was being taken to the morgue of CTU. _

_At that moment, Jack was driving to the hospital, with Chloe in the passenger seat. _

_At the same time, Renee ran a hand through her hair, feeling worried and nervous. _

**12.33.09 – 12.33.10 – 12.33.11 – 12.33.12 AM**

**12.37.21 – 12.37.22 – 12.37.23 – 12.37.24 AM**

_Dexter's body was being examined, while Clayton and Nora watched. _

_In the interim, Mandy was in Brendan's house, cleaning herself up and changing clothes. _

_Meanwhile, Audrey was sitting among the hostages, feeling terrified. _

_At that moment_,_ Jack and Chloe were still on their way to the hospital. _

Chloe finished a phone conversation with Clayton.

"Okay. Call me when you know what went wrong", she said, annoyed, and disconnected the call.

"What happened?", Jack asked her, giving his friend a brief alarmed look.

"The interrogation didn't go well", Chloe understated.

"Give it more time", Jack said, with his eyes on the road. "Brewer's not trained to hold under torture. He'll break eventually"

"No. He won't", Chloe affirmed. "He's dead"

"What?", Jack exclaimed, feeling stunned and confused.

"He had a heart attack during the interrogation", Chloe explained. "Nobody knows why"

"Some hearts are simply too weak to handle this type of interrogations", Jack said. He sighed, full of frustration. "Damn it! He was our only lead"

His cellphone began ringing.

"Take the call", he said to Chloe. "Put it on speaker"

Chloe obeyed rapidly.

"Jack's phone", she said, taking the call.

Renee and Morris were on the other side of the line. They were working in Renee's office. She was sitting behind her desk, while she sat in front of him.

"Chloe? Jack? Where are you?", Renee asked.

"We are on our way to the hospital", Chloe replied. "We'll get there in twenty minutes"

"We heard about Dexter Brewer", Renee said, with a frown. "What the hell happened? Did Nora screw up?"

"I'm sure it wasn't her fault", Jack said, defending his deputy. "Some hearts can't handle extreme interrogations. There's no way of knowing". He didn't want to dwell on Dexter's death. "How's the situation at the hospital?"

"It's bad", Renee answered. "The terrorists killed the first hostage. They are threatening to kill Kanin's assistant in fifteen minutes"

"Damn it!", Jack exclaimed, hitting the steering wheel with frustration. "We won't make it in time. You have to send somebody else, someone who's already on the field. A small team"

"Hayworth doesn't want to send anybody", Renee said. "He's too scared"

"Chloe, why are _you_ going to the hospital?", Morris brusquely asked. He was visibly alarmed.

Chloe wrinkled her nose awkwardly, knowing her husband wouldn't like the answer.

"I'm gonna try to restore the power of the hospital", she replied.

"But, to do that, you have to get into the hospital and go to the server's room", Morris pointed out.

"I know", Chloe said.

"There's no way you are doing that", Morris said, with a firm tone. "You can't go inside the hospital".

"I _have _to", she argued. "I'm the only one who can get the systems back up"

"It's too dangerous", Morris objected, fearing for his wife's life. "You could get killed. Even if you make it to the server's room, you could get electrocuted"

"I'll be fine. I've done it before", Chloe reminded him gently.

"Bloody hell, Chloe!", Morris yelled. "You are pregnant! You must take care of yourself"

Jack stared at Chloe in disbelief. He looked at Chloe's belly, which was still flat. She nodded as if saying _Yeah, it's true_.

"I'll be extremely careful, Morris", Chloe promised, with a hand on her belly. "I love you".

She then disconnected the call.

"Congratulations", Jack said, sincerely happy for her. "That's great news"

"Thanks". Chloe smiled slightly.

"I'll protect you", Jack promised solemnly.

"I know" Chloe affirmed. There was a pause. "So, how's Renee handling the fact that Audrey is around?"

"Renee's fine", he replied, kind of brusquely. He wasn't sure, actually.

"It can't be easy for her after what happened last time", Chloe babbled, without realizing that Jack was uncomfortable and was frowning. "And now you're going to risk your life for Audrey, who is not over you"

Jack didn't say anything at first. He swallowed and blinked rapidly.

"Renee knows I'm not in love with Audrey anymore", he finally stated. "I'm trying to save Audrey because she tried to save me when I was in China, and because she is my ex-girlfriend who suffered a lot because of me. Besides, I loved Audrey very much once. Am I supposed to let her die?"

"No. Of course not", Chloe said, thinking Jack was making a good point.

"There are thirty hostages, Chloe", Jack reminded her. "Let's focus on that".

**12.39.16 – 12.39.17 – 12.39.18 – 12.39.19 AM**

Morris was sitting on the salmon velvet couch of Renee's office cradling his head in his hands. He was thinking about his wife. If he lost her, the world would end to him. He would lose the woman he adored and his second child, at the same time.

Renee looked at him with compassion. She took a seat next to him.

"Congratulations on the new baby, Morris", she said, softly.

"Thanks", he said, with a half-smile.

"How far along is she?", Renee asked.

"Only nine weeks", Morris replied. "We weren't going to say anything, because it's bad luck to announce it so early. But she's putting herself in danger"

"Don't worry", Renee said, with a hand on his shoulder. "Jack will protect her. She's like a sister to him"

"I know". Morris said, with conviction. "You know? When Chloe and I got back together, seven years ago, I was really worried. I thought she was in love with Jack".

"She isn't", she reassured him.

"I know that now", he stated, with a tiny smile on his face.

Renee stood up. She brushed softly with her hands her pale grey skirt.

"We should see Hayworth now", she said.

Morris nodded in agreement and stood up. He and Renee headed to the Oval office. They reached the ante-chamber of the presidential office. Nancy Johnson, Allison's oldest assistant, was working there along with Hayworth's assistant.

"Is he there, Nancy?", Renee asked, pointing at the oval office.

"Yeah. He's meeting with Mr. Anderson, Mr. Watts, Mr. Sullivan, and the FBI liaison", the assistant explained. She pressed a button of the intercom. "Mr. President? Ms. Walker needs to see you"

"Send her in", Hayworth commanded.

Renee and Morris walked into the oval office. They could see five men gathered, and Allison's puppy was sleeping under the president's desk.

George Sullivan, Renee's deputy, was sitting in one of the cream-colored couches by the coffee table. Derek Watts was sitting next to him. Matt Anderson was sitting on the couch across from them. FBI agent Lenny Charters was sitting next to Matt and was acting as FBI liaison. They were all drinking coffee.

Hayworth was sitting in one of the yellow chairs next to the couches. He was drinking scotch on the rocks. He needed alcohol to calm down. The tension was killing him.

"Hey, do you want scotch? It's thirty years old", he offered.

"No. Thank you. I'm fine, sir", Renee politely declined.

"What about you, O'Brian?", Hayworth asked.

Morris looked at the bottle of scotch on the table, feeling a little bit tempted. It was difficult for him to stay sober, particularly during such a bad day. But he wouldn't surrender to his urges. He had to stay sober for his family.

"I can't, sir. I'm in AA", he said.

Hayworth raised her eyebrows with surprise.

"Go figure", he commented, and took a zip. "I went to a couple of NA meetings when I was young. But I realized I didn't have a problem. I was just having fun. It was only a phase"

"I'm afraid I _do_ have a problem, sir", Morris admitted. Admitting having a problem was crucial.

"We are all addicted to _something_", George mused out loud. He felt addicted to Nora, who was so tall, thin and blonde, with emerald eyes.

Hayworth nodded and took a sip of his drink. He finished and put it on the coffee table. He directed his gaze at Lenny Charters.

"So, Agent Charters, you were trying to tell me something", Hayworth reminded the other man.

"Yes, sir", Lenny said, with concern. "One of agents is missing"

"Who?", Renee asked.

"Dale Reynolds", Lenny replied. "He said he had to go to the hospital where Leon Craig is, to interrogate him. But he never got there, and he's not answering his phone"

Renee raised her eyebrows, feeling surprised. She had worked with Dale for six years. She considered him a good agent, responsible and hardworking, although a bit sexist.

"Why would he disappear on a day like this?", she asked, sitting down in one of the chairs.

"Did you try tracking down his cellphone?", Morris inquired.

"Janis tried", Lenny answered. "But there is no signal"

"Maybe he was on to something and someone took him out", Renee speculated.

Lenny nodded sadly.

"I'm afraid so. We are investigating the issue", he said.

Hayworth took the information in and decided there was nothing he could do about that. Then, he directed his gaze at Morris.

"Did you get any information from Brewer?", he questioned.

"No. I'm afraid the interrogation didn't go well", Morris admitted. "Brewer is dead"

"Dead?", Hayworth exclaimed, with his forest-green eyes wide opened. "How did that happen?"

"We are still investigating", Morris replied, taking a seat next to George. "Apparently, his heart couldn't resist the extreme interrogation".

"So, Jack Bauer screwed up!", Hayworth said, angrily. "I thought he was good at this"

"Jack didn't conduct the interrogation", Renee clarified quickly. "Colonel McNally did"

"Why?", Hayworth asked, with a scowl.

"Jack is heading to the hospital with Chloe O'Brian", Renee replied. Everybody was looking at her with surprise. "Chloe will try to restore the power of the building. She's the only one who can do it"

"And what's Bauer gonna do?", Derek asked, with confusion.

"He'll escort Chloe to the server room, and he wants to put together a small assault team, to rescue the hostages", Renee explained.

"That's out of the question!", Hayworth stated. "Any attempt to rescue the hostages will cause their deaths"

"We must do something, Mr. President", Renee affirmed, with some desperation in her tone. "They'll kill another hostage in a few minutes".

"I won't be responsible for another Wako", Hayworth stated.

"I have an idea, Mr. President", Derek Watts said. "The CIA has a knockout gas based on a derivative of the drug fentanyl". He then looked at Matt. "Am I right?"

"Yes", Matt confirmed.

Renee and George looked at each other with alarm. They could see where Derek was going.

"Sir, that gas would knock out the hostages", Renee pointed out.

"But it would incapacitate the terrorists as well", Derek said, rapidly, looking at Hayworth, who seemed to be intrigued. "We would be able to apprehend them".

"That's what they did in Moscow, during the 2002 hostage crisis. And one hundredth and thirty hostages died", Renee reminded everybody.

"They used _naloxone_ in Moscow, not _fentanyl_", Derek argued.

"Does this fentanyl cause any permanent damage?", Hayworth asked, looking at Matt.

"Nothing permanent", Matt assured. "The hostages and the terrorists would recover"

"How can you be so sure?", Renee asked. Matt didn't answer.

Hayworth scratched the back of his head, feeling lost.

"I have to think about it", he said. He then looked at Matt. "Have your people send the gas to the hospital now. Just in case I decide to use it"

Renee looked at her wristwatch.

"Sir, the next hostage is about to get killed", she announced.

**12.44.32 – 12.44.33 – 12.44.34 – 12.44.39 AM**

Everybody headed to the situation room, walking as fast as humanly possible. They got in the elevator that would take them to the basement. They finally reached the basement and walked into the situation room.

"Ten Hut!", the soldier by the door announced, prompting those who were sitting down to stand up.

Right then, Brendan appeared on the big screen, wearing a ski mask. Gina was in front of him, sitting on a chair and sobbing. The other hostages were collectively holding their breaths.

"Mr. Hayworth, what have you decided?", Brendan asked, showing no emotion.

"If you surrender peacefully, you and your associates won't get the death penalty. I guarantee it. And we'll put you in a _minimum _security prison", Hayworth proposed, trying to sound firm. He put his right hand on his pocket to cover that the hand was shaking. "If you kill another hostage, you'll either die or spend the rest of your life in Guantamo Bay"

"We'll see about that", Brendan said. He then addressed his hostage. "Any last words, Gina?"

Gina widened her eyes in horror, realizing it was the end.

"Tell my friend Christy that I want her to raise my son", she said, chocked up. "And tell my son that I'll be with his daddy now"

"So touching", Brendan said, mockingly.

He positioned himself behind Gina. Showing no emotions, he shot her in the head. Gina's body fell to the ground.

"No!", Ethan yelled, feeling helpless. His eyes were watery. He was very fond of his assistant. "You son of a bitch!"

Millicent squeezed his hand, silently offering support.

Brendan observed them. He grabbed Millicent and pulled her away from her uncle.

"No! Leave her alone, you son of a bitch!", Ethan shouted, with desperation.

"Leave my mom alone, you sick bastard!", Rachel yelled. She busted in tears. Ethan held her tightly, not knowing what else to do.

Brendan ignored them. He made Millicent sit down in front of the camera. He then addressed the people in the situation room.

"This is Millicent Lawson. She's Mr. Kanin's niece and President Taylor's niece by marriage", Brendan told them, with a very serious expression. "She'll be dead in ten minutes".

He disconnected the video call.

"Please, leave her alone!", Ethan begged him. "You can use me to negotiate instead"

"I can't do that, Mr. Kanin", Brendan said. "You are my most valuable hostage. I'm gonna use you to get out of here"

"You are a lunatic and an idiot!", Ethan spitted out, full of hatred. "You'll never get your way"

"Watch me", Brendan said, arrogantly.

_Brendan's men moved Gina's body. _

_At the same time, Jack and Chloe were still in his car, on the way to the hospital. _

_Meanwhile, in the situation room, everybody stared at Hayworth, who looked lost. _

_At that moment, Nora was sitting in the interrogation room, lost in thoughts. _

**12.47.03 – 12.47.04 – 12.47.05 – 12.47.06 AM**

**12.50.22 – 12.50.23 – 12.50.24 – 12.50.25 AM**

_Gina's body was lying on the floor, next to __Paige Chetley's body. They were covered with white sheets._

_At that moment, Millicent was sitting on a chair, with tears in her eyes. She stared down at her trembling hand. _

_Meanwhile, Ethan hugged Rachel tightly. _

_In the interim, Jack and Chloe arrived to the hospital. They passed by a few security checkpoints using their credentials. _

Finally, the hospital building appeared before their eyes. Carter Everton joined them. He had arrived a minute earlier. Jack and Chloe approached him.

"Agent Everton, do you know who's in command here?", Jack asked.

"Agent Mannheim", Carter replied. "I'll take you to him"

Carter led the way, and they finally saw a bald man in his forties.

"That's him", Carter told them.

Jack approached the bald man.

"Agent Mannheim? I'm Jack Bauer, National Security Adviser", Jack introduced himself. "What's the situation?"

"The terrorists killed another hostage", Hugh Mannheim replied somberly. "They are threatening to kill Ethan Kanin's niece if we don't give in to their demands"

"Damn it!", Jack exclaimed, as usual. "What are you waiting for? Send an assault team!"

"We have orders to stand down", Hugh informed. "There's nothing we can do"

Without saying anything, Jack walked away and called Renee. Her assistant, Zoe, picked up the phone.

"Renee Walker's office", she said.

"Zoe? I need to talk to Renee, now!", Jack said, rather loudly.

Zoe patched the call through.

Renee was sitting behind her desk, reading a report. She was educating herself on the knockout gas. She didn't like the idea of using it. Her desk phone rang, so she took the call.

"Yeah?"

"Renee? It's me", Jack said. "What the hell are you guys doing down there? Those who are here were told just sit down and do nothing"

"It's Hayworth", Renee said, scratching her arm, nervously. "He's too scared to do something".

"He's not the right person to handle this crisis, Renee", Jack stated. "Or any crisis for that matter"

"I know", Renee sighed with resignation. _If only the country had a better a leader_, she thought. "But, what can we do? He's the acting president"

"He shouldn't be", Jack snapped.

Renee didn't argue that.

"Jack, they are considering using a knockout gas based on a derivative of the drug fentanyl", she informed.

"Damn it", Jack said.

"Jack, take Chloe to the servers' room", Renee requested, with some desperation in her tone. "The doctors operating on President Taylor are completely blind"

Jack knew how much Renee cared about Allison.

"I'll do it", he assured his fiancée. "I have to go".

"Please, be careful", Renee begged, fearing for his life. She would have asked him not to be a hero, but she knew it would be useless. "I want to marry you".

"We'll get married soon", he promised solemnly. "I want that more than anything". He was anxious to make Renee his wife. They were supposed to spend the night celebrating the success of the State of the Union Address. But they had to fight terrorists instead. He made a short pause and sighed resignedly. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I really have to go"

He hung up the phone and approached Carter and Chloe. They were with a short man whose hair was black and white. They were all standing next to a black van, which belonged to CTU.

"Jack, this is Agent Declan Aston, CTU", Chloe explained.

"Okay", Jack said, with a nod. "Listen, we need to get into the hospital. We need to get to the servers room. Just the four of us. But Hayworth won't like it. Does anybody have a problem with that?"

"None whatsoever", Carter assured, with a tiny smile.

"I'm ready, sir", Declan affirmed.

"Good", Jack approved. "But they might throw a knockout gas. So we need to get portable oxygen equipment"

"Wait, I'll communicate with the people in the OR. I'll ask if there's any in the hospital", Chloe said.

At that moment, inside the OR, the anesthesiologist, four doctors and two nurses, were working on President Allison Taylor. Agents Aaron Pierce, Hobson and Hoskins were providing light with flashlights.

"Jesus Christ!", Dr. Charlotte Altman exclaimed. "She's bleeding out. We need another unit of 0 negative!"

Chloe's voice was heard through Aaron's walkie-talky.

"Agent Pierce? I need to talk to Dr. Templeton", she said.

"I'm listening", Alton Templeton said, loudly. "What's going on?"

"We need portable oxygen equipment", Chloe explained.

"There's one supply closet in each floor, by the elevators", Alton told her.

"Thanks", Chloe said. "And good luck with the surgery. I don't want to put more pressure on you, but if you screw up, most Americans will hate you"

"Right back at ya", Alton responded, rather coldly, but honestly. _Gee, what would she'd said if she wanted to put pressure on me?,_ he thought.

Chloe cut off the communication. She addressed Jack.

"We have to get to a supply closet. There's one in every floor, by the elevator"

"Do you have thermal images?", Jack asked.

Chloe showed him the screen of her smartphone. There were thermal images showing several red spots in the hospital. The spots represented living humans. Some of them, where gathered next to the door of the OR. Eight spots appeared to be moving around the hospital, in pairs. None of them were on the third floor.

"There are no hostiles on the third floor", Jack concluded. "We can go to the supply closet there. But getting there will be tricky"

"Nobody seems to be guarding the emergency exit in the northwest wing", Carter pointed out, while Chloe gave everybody com devises. Declan gave everybody bulletproof vests, which he took from the back of the black van.

"Okay. Let's go", Jack said.

The foursome headed to the emergency exit in the northwest wing.

Hugh Mannheim saw them and ran towards them. He stood in front of Jack.

"Where do you think you're going?", he asked, angrily. "Nobody is supposed to go in"

Jack pushed him, making Hugh fall down.

"Back off!", Jack yelled.

Chloe, Declan, Carter and Jack continued walking.

**12.54.46 – 12.54.47 – 12.54.48 – 12.54.49 AM**

They headed to the emergency exit in the northwest wing. The door had been locked from the inside.

"Are they any hostiles around?", Jack asked.

"No. But there are two coming in this direction", Chloe said, looking at her smartphone.

Jack looked at Carter and nodded. Carter nodded back.

"You stay here, until we say so", Jack told Chloe. Then he counted down. "Three, two, one…".

He and Carter kicked the door with all their forces, until the door busted open.

Immediately, two Russian mercenaries, Yaroslav Lobanov and Vasily Manykin appeared, running. They were wearing bulletproof vests and iron masks.

Carter, Jack and Declan shot the Russians in the arms and legs, to make them fall. Chloe hid.

Yaroslab fell down and dropped his weapon, after firing it twice. Jack was hit on the bulletproof vest and stumbled. But he recovered instantly and launched against the Russian. He removed the hostile's iron mask. He punched Yaroslab, leaving him unconscious. He then broke the hostile's neck, killing him.

Meanwhile, Vasily was injured and fell down, but fired his weapon once, hitting Declan on the arm. Carter grabbed the Russian, removed the iron mask, and threw him against the wall. He banged Vasily's head harshly against the wall many times, until the Russian was dead.

"Chloe, it's clear", Jack announced, through his cuff mic.

Chloe entered. Carter rushed to check on Declan.

"Declan, are you okay?", Carter asked. He rapidly examined his friend's wound.

"I think I'll be fine", Declan said.

"Yes. This doesn't look serious", Carter stated, with relief. He took off Vasily's black sweater and gave it to Declan. "Use this to stop the bleeding"

He and Jack then checked out the hostile's bodies, to see if there was anything useful. They kept their weapons and ammunition. Jack noticed that Yaroslab had a broken cross tattooed on his neck.

"Oh, God", he said.

"Look at this!", Carter said, almost at the same time. He saw that Vasily had a broken cross tattooed on the back of his hand.

"I've seen those tattoos", Jack said, remembering the day he worked for CTU New York with Renee. "These men are members of the Russian mob. They belong to the Red Square syndicate"

"Let's keep moving", Carter suggested. "Take their com devises", he ordered Declan. "We have to impersonate them if the other motherfuckers want to contact them".

The others agreed. The foursome headed to the staircase.

**12.57.37 – 12.57.38 – 12.57.39 – 12.57.40 AM**

In the first floor of the hospital, Brendan and Brigham were controlling the hostages. Drake Covington was helping them, in spite of his wounded shoulder. There were, also, three injured Russians assisting them. None of the men were severely hurt.

Right then, the mercenaries were without ski masks.

Audrey had an idea. She positioned herself behind Ethan and Rachel, so they would cover her.

"Cover me", she whispered at them, while she pretended to cry on their shoulder.

Since the mercenaries weren't looking at her, very slowly, Audrey took her cellphone out of her pocket. She got it ready to take a picture.

Thelma Corday, the pregnant nurse, realized that Audrey wanted to photograph the terrorists, so she decided to create a diversion, so the bad guys wouldn't notice Audrey.

Thelma got closer to a male doctor, Daniel Willowick, and pretended to cry on his shoulder.

"We need to create a diversion", she whispered in his ear. "Are you with me?". Daniel nodded, in agreement. "Bastards! You can all go to hell!", the nurse yelled. She stood up and run to the door.

"Go fuck yourselves!", Daniel shouted at the same time, standing up. He ran towards a different door.

Predictably, Brendan shot at the ceiling, trying to regain control. Meanwhile, Drake and Brigham ran after Thelma and hit her. The three Russians grabbed Daniel and punched him.

Audrey took advantage of the chaos and managed to take a few pictures. Nobody saw her.

Brendan shot at the ceiling again.

"Everybody, calm down!", he shouted.

"It's time, Brendan", Brigham told him. He tossed Thelma towards the other hostages. "Behave!"

Brendan put on his ski mask and stood next to Millicent, who was sitting on a chair. Brigham got the laptop set.

In the situation room of the White House, Hayworth was arguing with several members of his team. Soon, Brendan and Millicent appeared on the big screen. She was crying and had nasty bruises on her face.

"Mr. Hayworth, will you give me the code to access the OR?", Brendan asked.

Feeling extremely nervous, Hayworth looked at the members of his team. Renee stared back at him, with anger. Derek was looking down, sadly. The joint chiefs were showing no emotion.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Hayworth took a deep breath, summoning his courage, and looked directly into Brendan's blue eyes.

"You are a crazy and degenerate piece of shit. I will give you absolutely nothing", Hayworth stated.

Millicent broke down in uncontrollable sobs.

Without hesitation, Brendan shot her in the head.

"No! Mom!", Rachel screamed in horror. She busted in tears while Ethan held her tight.

"Oh My God! Millie!", Ethan whispered, crushed, barely managing not to cry while he held a sobbing Rachel.

Brendan stared at the camera, showing no emotion.

"I'm disappointed, Mr. Hayworth", he said.

Brendan looked at Brigham and nodded. The larger mercenary grabbed Audrey, who began crying.

"No! Leave me! You sick son of a bitch!, she sobbed, while Brigham made her sit on the chair.

"Oh, God", Renee whispered, taking a hand to her own mouth.

"You have fifteen minutes, Mr. Hayworth", Brendan said, with the barrel of his gun pressing Audrey's head.

Audrey stared at the camera, horrified. She was trembling, and tears fell from her eyes.

**12.59.56 – 12.59.57 – 12.59.58 – 12.59.59 AM** **(*SILENT CLOCK. We only hear Audrey's soft sobs) **

**01:00 AM **

**Please, let me know if you are reading and enjoying this story. Seven more episodes!**


End file.
